Darkness Yielding
by Liam G
Summary: For eight years Yoruichi Shihōin has raised and trained Ichigo Kurosaki to the best of her abilities despite the limitations of his human body. That changes when she decides her protégé has earned the right to become one of the Afterlife's elite warriors, a Shinigami. They both return to Karakura where it all began and will begin again when Ichigo makes a surprising choice.
1. A Shihōin's Choice

**Disclaimer insert here: No I do not own Bleach much to my disappointment.**

 **All characters belong to their rightful owners, except any OC's that I include with the story. An M rating is for future violence, dismemberments, gore, language, very foul language, and of course adult situations. Do not expect a ton of lemony scenes, I am here to write a good story hopefully, not audition for Penthouse Forums. Also since I found that it is necessary to warn my new followers now, use of Japanese terms will be used a lot in all of my stories. Also expect OC behavior for your favorites. Finally this is an AU story, which means I am not a huge fan of following the manga; please remember that in your reviews.**

 **XXXX**

 **A guide is provided at the end for your translation needs if you are new to my stories. For those readers who know me, the Response to Reviews will be at the bottom after any AN notes starting next chapter.**

 **Warning: I use a lot of Japanese familial terms, if you complain I'll be honest now, I don't care and I will not respond to any PM or review** ** **complaining about it** no matter what. So enjoy the first chapter lads and lasses.**

 **This chapter co-authored by regfurby.**

 **XXXX**

 **"** Speech **"**

 **'** Thoughts **'**

 **"Hollow Zangetsu"**

 **"** _ **Quincy Zangetsu**_ **"**

 _ **'**_ _Memories_ _ **'**_

 **XXXX**

The purple-haired goddess could only stand under the cover of her Reiatsu-suppressing cloak and watch in horror as what used to be a tiny house down the alley from where she stood burned into the night sky. Standing next to and under the cloak with her is the indirect cause of the inferno before her. A young Plus Soul shivering in both fright and anxiety after her near second-death at the hands of a now dead Hollow stands with her. The Hollow had chased her in front of a spiritually-aware truck driver, causing him to swerve to avoid the young ghost. His cargo of several tons of petrol, destined for inner-parts of Japan had exploded on impact from the crash as his truck slammed into the wall, the fuel vaporizing half a block of residential homes and leaving them a blazing inferno; including, among them, the home of a former Shinigami Captain and his family.

In each of her trembling arms, she holds a young child; one seven year old boy, the other his five year old sister, the only survivors of a family of six. Both are unconscious but miraculously unharmed; the same cannot be said however for the dozen of other families caught up in the explosion. She takes no comfort in the knowledge that they died swiftly and painlessly, robbed of their lives before they could even detect the change in temperature.

Tears streaming down her face, she turns resolutely away from the scene and begins to walk down the alley, back to the shouten she has called home on and off over the years. Walking away from the fires she can put out with her Reiatsu to keep them from spreading. Walking away from the panicked screaming that now erupts from the surviving homes on both sides, their occupants finally registering what has just happened to their neighbors. Walking away to prevent anyone, Shinigami or otherwise from seeing her precious cargo and questioning her for answers she can't and won't give. And most importantly, she is walking away so that 'he' won't find out that there are survivors, not until they are prepared for him.

Casting her senses out on full alert, she detects the tiny flicker of Reiatsu coming from far and immediately ducks into the shadow of a wall, the Plus Soul huddling close to her. Her tears now forgotten, she scans the skies with sharp golden eyes, quickly spotting the spy bug high above her heading towards the disaster site, its predecessor having been destroyed by the shockwave of the explosion. Grimly, she wonders how this will screw up 'his' plans, perhaps even giving them enough time to turn this disaster around. Despite this, the loss of so many innocent lives weighs heavily on her: it is far too high a price to pay regardless of any incidental advantage they may have gained against 'him'.

The spy bug leaves, and the two continue moving. The rest of the trip is mostly made in silence, but as they get closer to the place of refuge, the young Plus Soul hanging onto her clothes finally looks up at the older woman with unshed tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." The tiny voice says, knowing full well that her apology cannot bring back the lives that were lost. "I'm sorry."

The older woman is silent. Part of her wishes to blame the child, but she knows it is hypocritical of her. If anything, she herself is to blame for not being there sooner. "Not your fault little one. I should have gotten there quicker to kill that Hollow."

The words seem to reassure the Plus Soul, and the woman's expression softens. "Now come along, I know someone who can help you get to the other side."

The ghost girl trots along obediently beside her. "What's it like?"

Looking down at the young soul, the former Captain hides her grimace as she turns to look ahead again. "It's a place you can find peace."

'And hopefully you will make it to one of the upper districts and find a good family.' She silently prays to herself, none of her inner thoughts being revealed by her face.

Coming up to a rundown looking store, the woman doesn't bother knocking on the door, simply pushing past the closed-up store-front and making her way into the back rooms where her two compatriots are waiting. Sitting in deep contemplation is her oldest friend and former subordinate who became a fellow Captain before being framed and exiled, Urahara Kisuke with his messy blonde hair and gray eyes, who nods to his other partner-in-exile, Tsukabishi Tessai, the former Kidō Commander's hair done up in a new style of black corn-rolls and hiding his piercing eyes behind light reflecting glasses, both males watching intently as the former assassin enters the room with three extras. Getting up with a swiftness that belies his large frame, Tessai delicately takes the two unconscious children from the woman and disappears into a different room with them. Neither man, woman nor child say a word until the former Kidō Commander returns with tea for the four of them.

Smiling at the young female Plus Soul, Tessai hands her a fragrant cup of tea. "This is for your journey young one."

"Thank you mister." Carefully sipping the steaming liquid, she becomes drowsy and within minutes is sound asleep on the woman's shoulder.

Taking his cane, Kisuke gently touches the Tsuka-Gashira to the child's head and watches as she fades into light, a Hell Butterfly guiding her soul to the other side and silently offering a prayer for her to find true peace in the afterlife. Huffing out once that is done, the three sit and await the arrival of the soon-to-be fourth member of this somber meeting. Leaning back on her hands, Shihōin Yoruichi looks towards the room where the two sleeping Kurosaki siblings now rest within. She can't help her eyes from tearing up again, knowing that very soon they will have to tell the surviving children that they are now both orphans and alone in this world. She can only pray that the young twins safely made it to Soul Society with their mother.

Soon, a very weak but steadily growing Reiatsu announces the arrival of the last person they have been waiting for. Striding in with grief etched on his face, the Shihakushō and torn Haori hanging off his shoulder a reminder of what each of them had left behind decades ago willingly or not, Shiba Isshin slumps dejectedly at the table, burying his face into his cupped hands.

"I-I couldn't save them." It's all he can say before breaking out into heart-wrenching sobs.

No one says a word; Yoruichi moves from her spot until she is next to Isshin, wrapping her arms around the back of the sobbing Shiba male and holding him tightly from behind, the other two males just looking away solemnly. For ten minutes the man openly cries for the loss of his wife and twin baby girls. Kisuke can't even look at him, the death of Masaki and the twins too much even for him to think clearly. Tessai wipes his own tears with a handkerchief, but keeps his own silence until Isshin slowly quietens down, patting the arm of his female friend.

"Thanks Yoruichi." He croaks out, voice worn from crying.

"You're welcome old friend." She responds, sliding down next to him and giving his arm a comforting squeeze.

Pouring a fresh cup of tea, the stony-face Kidō master hands the steaming beverage to the greatly diminished father of four. Slowly, Isshin drains the cup before setting it down and looking to the room his surviving son and daughter are sleeping in now. Turning to the genius in the room, he silently waits for an explanation, too exhausted from the entire ordeal to even ask a verbal question.

Knowing Isshin's mannerisms well, Kisuke answers his unspoken question. "Either your Musuko-san or your Musume-san must have Hollowfied somehow; it's the only explanation as to why they made it out alive Isshin."

The former Captain nods slowly, his unease at the possibility of his children Hollowfying being overcome by the relief that whatever the reason, at least they were still alive. However, there is still something that weighs heavily on his mind. Dipping his head down, he speaks hoarsely to the shouten owner. "I can't stay Kisuke, I have to go back and find Masaki and the girls. So whatever you have planned for them, just don't tell me. If I'm caught, at least I can keep their whereabouts a secret. Maybe I will come back in a few years and see how they are doing."

There are no admonishments from the other adults in the room, each of them knowing just how much Isshin loved his wife and young children. Being as fully aware of the hidden darkness of Soul Society as they are, they can understand his need to return and try to find his wife and children.

Urahara smiles sadly at the father. "I'll do my best for your Kodomo Isshin, I promise."

Standing up and pulling his Zanpakutō out, Isshin stabs the air in front of him. "Wish me luck then."

The three watch as the AWOL Shinigami Shunpos through the Senkaimon and disappears into the light beyond. As the shoji doors slowly close, each of them look longingly into the bright light that leads to their former home, but none make a move to draw any closer. The doors finally fade away, then Kisuke gets up first and makes his way to the door leading to the bedroom where the two children are now in a Kidō based slumber. Yoruichi comes up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Well Kisuke?"

The blonde man frowns in thought as he gazes at the sleeping children. "I'll draw up a fake will for Isshin and Masaki. Probably get the Arisawa's to take in Tamiko; they were close friends of the Kurosaki's, so I don't see a problem with them taking her in. As for Ichigo I'll have to find him somewhere close by so he and his Imouto…"

"I'll take him Kisuke." Yoruichi suddenly says, interrupting him.

Stiffening in place, he slowly turns to give the former Onmitsukidō Commander a good long stare before finally shrugging his shoulders. "I guess your maternal instincts are kicking in eh, Yori?"

The golden-eyed woman narrows her eyes at him, but lets the slight pass. "Something like that Kisuke. It would be best to keep them apart for now; Aizen can't watch what he doesn't know is alive, and even if he discovers Tamiko's existence he won't have a clue that Ichigo is still alive. I just hope Tamiko grows up somewhat normally; knowing that her entire family is either dead or missing isn't going to be easy for her to accept."

Turning to look back at the children, Kisuke mentally revises his plans in light of the new development. "Are you going to tell me where you are going?"

Patting her friend on the back, the purple-haired woman shakes her head no. "Just need papers from you and a new last name. Shihōin sticks out like a sore thumb to those that might be looking for us. We'll stay away for a few years then I'll send you a message and let you know how to reach me. Hopefully, we've gained some time with this turn of events."

Truthfully, she has no idea. Kisuke carefully keeps his tone neutral. "One can only hope. I'll see you in the morning with your new identification and background story Yoruichi."

"Good night Kisuke." The woman takes one last look at the children before leaving the room.

The former Captain watches his friend make her way tiredly to her room, waiting until her light goes out before turning back to the two sleeping children. He doesn't react as his only other friend currently in Karakura comes to stand behind him, Tessai placing a small orb carefully in his outstretched hand.

"Are you sure about this Boss?" The large man asks with clear discomfort. He always had a soft spot for children, and what Kisuke is doing now just feels... wrong.

Kisuke's gaze hardens. "We only need one Tessai. If this works, Aizen will never be able to use his Hōgyoku to its full potential."

His large friend sighs, folding his arms across his chest and adjusting his spectacles. "I hope for your sake this works Kisuke, if not…"

The former Captain of Squad Twelve steps forward, looming over the sleeping bodies of the two children. "If not, we will have a serious problem on our hands."

XXXX

Two brown orbs slowly blink awake. Looking around the room he is currently lying in, the little boy feels soreness down one side of his body and winces. Slowly pushing the blanket off his body, he notices he is in different clothes than what he went to bed in, and looking around himself, realizes that he does not know where he is.

Getting up, he carefully pushes the paper door to one side and peeks down the hallway; seeing and hearing nothing, he steps out of the room and shuts the door quietly behind him, beginning to search for something to drink and a place to relieve himself. He slides aside each of the delicate doors just a crack and peeks in, finally finding the bathroom. A few minutes later, a much relieved little boy's curiosity is now starting to win out over his caution. After washing his hands like he has been taught to do, he begins to explore the unfamiliar place again until he finds himself in a large open room. Looking around, all that he sees are the tatami mats on the floor, not unlike the ones at the dojo that he practices at with his younger sister and her best friend.

"Tamiko!? Tami-chan!? Kaa-chan!? Tou-chan!? Yuzu!? Karin!?" Each name that he calls out without an answer causes his worry to build up, but he manfully holds back his tears. "A-Anyone?"

"Good morning Ichigo, nice to see you finally awake." The little boy spins around, squeaking and landing clumsily on his behind, then scrambling backwards as he looks up at the woman towering over him.

The woman smiles gently at the panicking boy, kneeling down and holding out her hand to him. His panic slowly fading at her lack of hostile action, the young boy carefully looks at the woman in front of him and thinks to himself that she is pretty, with her long purple haired tied loosely in a ponytail, skintight clothing, and golden eyes watching him with an unfamiliar feeling of amusement. He takes her proffered hand hesitantly at first, but seeing her smile encouragingly at him, grips it tightly and allows her to pull him back to his feet.

Holding on to her smooth warm hand, the little boy follows her to another room where food is laid out in dishes on a low table, an older woman already sitting there and watching them. Letting go of his hand, the pretty lady sits down at the head of the table then indicates to him to sit at an empty spot beside her.

Sitting down obediently, the young boy watches as the old woman fills up two bowls of rice, placing them in front of the woman and then himself. When she is done, she gets up and departs the room with a slight bow to both of them. Finding it strange, he asks the woman why.

"She's not gonna eat with us?"

"No Ichigo, she doesn't need to eat like us, so she will be fine."

Nodding his head in acceptance at the answer, the young boy digs into the food in front of him, finding himself hungrier than he thought. When he is finished, he looks over at the strange woman and his eyes grow wide seeing that she has eaten five times what he has, if he has counted the rice bowls stacked at one side correctly. He giggles when she leans back and lets out a loud belch indicating a full stomach, then hurriedly covers his mouth when the lady cracks an eye open at him, scooting back a bit as she leans forward and props her head on her hands, then silently looks him over with an unreadable expression on her face. Before long, the little boy begins to fidget under her scrutiny.

"A-Ano...Can you tell me where my Kaa-chan and Tou-chan are?" Finally working up the courage to ask, the little boy frowns when the strange lady only closes her eyes, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

The little boy knows that when adults cry, it can only mean bad news. Looking around again, he sees that outside of the house there is nothing but woods and mountains, something he has only seen on the TV at home. There are no sign of the streets and houses and signposts that he is so used to seeing outside his home.

"W-Where am I?" Now he is getting scared as to who these people are, and he backs away from the strange woman who has opened her eyes to look at him again.

"Ichigo, please come here." She says quietly, waving him over.

At first he doesn't move, hesitating until she sighs at him and pats the place next to her. Somehow, he feels that he has made the pretty lady sad, and it makes him feel guilty. Without any further protest, he crawls over to her side and sits down, watching as she turns to face him fully.

This time, it is the woman who hesitates. "I'm not going to hurt you Ichigo, I…I have some things I have to talk to you about."

"Like were my Ryōshin are?"

Before he can react, she snags him and pulls him into her lap, holding on to him tightly. As the boy struggles to escape the woman begins speaking quietly to him, explaining what had happened that night. As she talks, he slowly begins to understand why he is alone, why his mother and father aren't there, why his sisters aren't trying to find him and play with him. The tears that he has held back for so long finally overwhelm him and he throws his tiny arms around the woman holding him, sobbing his little heart out.

Patting his back, Yoruichi keeps whispering into Ichigo's ears as he cries into her chest, her own tears being shed silently. "I'll always be here for you Ichigo. I'll always be here for you."

XXXX

The sound of wind and rain is broken by the voice of a young male.

" **So who's the broad?** "

" _ **I have no idea Zangetsu.**_ "

The two Zanpakutō spirits look around the place they call home. They stand in the middle of nothingness as the young mind of their wielder rages on in grief and despair, the driving winds and rain soaking both beings to their core while they are helpless to do anything but stand and wait for the weather to pass, either when their young wielder falls asleep or when his emotions are finally brought under control.

" **...Gonna be a long wait Oji.** "

" _ **Perhaps. Maybe we should try reaching out to him instead of waiting for him.**_ "

" **I guess…Hey Oji what's that?** "

Both the spirits spy the glowing orb approaching them but before either can react, they are hit by simultaneous beams of light. As both spirits fall unconscious, the orb slowly breaks down and divides itself between the two entities of the soul it has chosen, to fulfill the child's greatest desire.

XXXX

Two years after the incident…

At nine, Ichigo is well advanced for his age group, both in his mental and physical prowess. Most of the other kids have learned by now that trying to bully the orange-haired boy will only end up with them getting a humiliating beating. But as in most cases, there are always the few who do not believe the rumors. It doesn't help that Ichigo never threatens or seeks out his bullies, only dealing with them when they come looking for him.

In fact, today is one such day.

Ichigo watches the other boy gasping for air, an amused look on his face; the would-be bully has tried and failed to hit him over and over again since the beginning of the fight, and he is starting to get bored already. He sighs, thinking that if Yoruichi was his opponent, he would have been on his ass already, but these punks can't even touch him. Even the sneaky ones consistently fail to lay a hand on him since his sixth sense, or his Sensei calls it, his instincts, makes him acutely aware of his surroundings at all times.

"Oi, you wanna take a break?" He asks the heavy-set kid in front of him with a bored tone.

"I…I'm…going…to…beat…you…Watanabe…" The kid gasps as he keeps his hands on his quivering knees, sucking in deep lungfuls of air and trying to glare at Ichigo with all the strength he can muster.

Said 'Watanabe' easily brushes off the pathetic attempt at intimidation. "Look, we can do this all day and you still won't hit me. So give up and leave me alone." Already knowing the response, he shifts his right foot forward, looking around to make sure no teachers are in sight.

"Up…yours…" That is as far as the bully gets when Ichigo's left foot snaps out and catches him in the ear, rattling his brains and dropping him flat on the ground.

Frowning as he looks down at the catatonic body of his latest would-be tormentor, Ichigo turns to the bully's friends and scowls, seeing them huddled in one corner while nursing their bruises. "Take your buddy to the infirmary, and you'd better make sure you say he fell...or else."

Leaving the group of punks shivering at his threat, the orange-haired boy picks up his dropped satchel and makes his way back to the path that will lead him to his home of the last two years. Each trip is an hour in the making, but he has never once complained to his guardian about it. He still has his bad days when he wakes up screaming and clawing at his face, but ever since his first nightmare, he has never slept alone. She was always there to keep him safe. Lifting his head, he begins running through his mental katas, the strange verses she had begun to teach him a year ago, as he ascends the mountain pathway to the house proper.

Stopping at the well near the side of the simple but elegant traditional home, he pulls up the bucket from the well and fills two identical buckets with water then carries them in, his arms held out at ninety degree angles from his body. It is no longer as hard as when he first started doing these drills that she put before him, but nonetheless he keeps doing them to keep getting stronger.

Taking off his shoes at the Genkan, he calls out into the house. "I'm home Yoruichi, Mia."

"Welcome home young master." He grins at the elderly woman who shows up as she takes the two buckets from him easily. "Mistress is in the dojo waiting for you."

Ichigo runs to his room, quickly changing into his Gi before heading towards the back of the home. Sliding the doors to the side, he bows respectfully to the woman now meditating in the middle of the mats before entering and sliding the doors shut. Stepping forward quietly until he is about a leg length away, he quickly shoots out his right foot at her head, which she dodges by moving to the side and then rolling backwards before springing to her feet. Finally opening her eyes, the golden-eyed woman gives him her infamous Cheshire grin.

"Cheating, Ichigo?" She smirks teasingly at him.

Smiling back at the woman, the nine-year old boy shrugs as he shifts into his next stance. "Just making sure you were awake."

"Tell me why you were late then?" She begins sliding to his left, her feet dancing in anticipation.

"Another bully." He frowns as she stops suddenly in her movements, a serious look appearing on her face.

"We can always move Ichigo."

He shakes his head violently. "NO! I love this mountain Yoruichi. This is my…only home now."

Holding her hand up to pause their training, she walks up to the young boy who has relaxed his own stance. Ruffling his hair, the golden-eyed woman places both hands on his shoulders and looks down seriously at the nine-year old. "As long as you are okay with it Ichigo, we'll stay. Now come, we have to train."

"Hai Yoruichi!" The boy smiles up at his Sensei, giving her a quick hug before pushing her back lightly.

Both step back before dropping into their stances, the boy grinning wide as does the woman across from him.

"Begin!" She shouts, and the two race towards each other and meet in the middle.

XXXX

Sitting on a stool in the bathroom after their two hour long practice, the young boy hums to himself as the woman behind him washes his back. Soon her hands tip his head back so she can pour water over his sweaty mass of orange locks. Keeping his eyes closed and mouth shut, he makes sure not to breathe until the water finishes running down his face. A cool sensation touches his scalp from the shampoo, and then he feels her hands running through his hair to lather him up. He sighs in contentment from the feeling of her nails scratching his head.

"You like that don't you Ichigo?" His guardian suddenly remarks in an amused tone.

"Sorry Yoruichi, but it feels so good." Ichigo answers back truthfully.

"Well then, I think it's time you start learning to do my hair too. So when I'm done with you, you get to wash my hair for me and I'll finally get to know how it feels like for once."

Laughing as she scrubs his hair, he sits there and patiently waits for her to finish, which she indicates by once again pouring water over his head. After the third bucket of water finishes pouring over his head, Ichigo turns around and smiles expectantly, gazing into her golden cat-like eyes.

Yoruichi smiles at his obvious enthusiasm, then unties her hair from the topknot it is held up in, allowing the purple locks to spill down over her shoulders. "Now Ichigo, my hair is very long as you can see. So I will teach you how to wash and get any tangles out of my hair. Do you think you're up to it Ichigo?"

"Hai!" Filling up a pail with warm water, he proceeds to do as she instructs him.

By the fifth bucket, he has managed to wet her hair completely, and she holds up the same bottle of shampoo for him to use. Squeezing out a small handful of the shampoo, Ichigo lathers it in his hands, then begins to work it through her long purple tresses and into the roots of her hair. Running his fingers through Yoruichi's hair as she hums comfortably under his ministrations, he realizes he has always wondered how her hair always felt so nice, and he smiles as he now knows.

"Yoruichi, can I ask you a question?"

"Hmm? Sure." The tan-skinned woman leans back as Ichigo's strong fingers begin to massage her scalp now.

"Will I be able to live with you forever?"

Turning on her stool with a look of surprise on her face, Yoruichi grins as she runs her fingers up and down his ribs. "You sure you want to live with a hot old lady like me forever Ichigo-kun?"

Laughing as he tries unsuccessfully to get away, he manages to retort through his giggles. "You aren't old Yoruichi and you're pretty, so stop tickling me!" It only causes her to tickle him more with both hands this time, and the bathroom is filled with shrieks of laughter as he squirms under her relentless assault.

Yoruichi finally relents when Ichigo is red in face and gasping for air. "You really are a good kid Ichigo. And yes, you can stay with me forever if you want."

Turning around, she points to her soapy hair. "Now get back to work."

"Hai Yoruichi!" She doesn't need to see the huge smile on her ward's face to know it matches the one on her own face.

XXXX

Five years after the incident…

Mia and Yoruichi both stand in front of the new middle-schooler who is trying unsuccessfully to scowl through the blush on his face. Tapping his foot impatiently as the two watch him with identical smirks, he finally gives in to the pressure of their expectant looks.

"Fine." He kisses Yoruichi's cheek first before shifting and giving the long-serving servant a kiss on the cheek as well.

"See, that wasn't too hard Ichigo." The were-cat says as she pulls the young boy to her and gives him a loving squeeze.

"No, but…"

"But what Ichi-kun?" She can see the red on his cheeks deepen.

"Y-You don't think I'm getting too old for that?" He manages to say.

Yoruichi smiles as she fixes his tie and straightens out his collar, then she looks into his chocolate colored eyes. "Nope, you are ours remember? You wanted to stay with me forever."

His smile comes back in full force and he sticks his tongue out at her. "Yeah, yeah. We should get going; Yumi-Sensei said she wanted to talk to you this morning about something."

After bidding Mia goodbye, the two begin running down the path towards the bottom of the mountain, one that over time has become shorter in the young teen's mind as his body grows and his strength and speed increases exponentially under Yoruichi's tutelage. Within a few short minutes the two are slowing to a brisk walk as they near the bottom, the older woman with a prideful smile on her face as she walks beside her…

She glances at the orange-headed youth walking beside her. 'What is he to me now?'

Ichigo's head is held high as he hums one of the songs she has taught him over the years, many of them being what members of the Gotei Thirteen came up with during their drunken forays into the Rukongai bar districts. Without thinking, she tries to place a hand on his shoulder, only for him to automatically intercept it with his own and hold on to it as they walk, their arms swinging lightly between them as he continues his task of surveying everything around them. Bobbing his head to the music only he can hear, he doesn't see the look the older woman is giving him as she stares at their linked hands, before a beautiful smile blossoms on her face.

'I guess he is mine.'

She and the young boy finally arrive at his new middle-school, being only three weeks into the semester before Ichigo's teacher had asked to see her for a private meeting. As they enter the courtyard in front of the school, they are greeted by a group of older boys snickering at the sight of the two holding hands.

"What's wrong mama's boy, had to bring your Okaa-san to keep us from beating you up? It ain't gonna work, just because you were tough in grade school doesn't mean you are tough here Carrot-top." The crowd of older boys begins to jeer before laughing ominously afterwards.

Clearly the brats have never known the wrath of a woman, or they would not have dared to threaten Ichigo in her presence. From the slight clenching of Ichigo's hand around hers, she knows that he is getting upset on her behalf, and she gives his hand a slight squeeze in return. "Ichigo, I'm going to see your Sensei now, I'll see you before I leave, okay?"

Ichigo smirks at her tone, knowing that she has given him express permission to teach the older students a lesson. "Sounds good Yoruichi, can you take this for me so it doesn't get lost please?" He holds up his satchel for her to take.

Kissing his forehead as she does so, she whispers into his ear. "Remember you are stronger than them Ichigo, keep that in mind when you fight. Hold back, leave them with bruises and minor cuts only, nothing major okay?"

"Hai. I'll see you soon." He turns and begins to walk towards the group of punks, cracking his knuckles as he does so. "So, who's first?"

The former Captain smiles as the first yelp reaches her ears, making her way into his school. Heading straight for his homeroom, she sees Ichigo's teacher standing outside with a clipboard in her hand, tapping the thing to her lips as she looks lost in deep thought. Standing beside her without being noticed, Yoruichi finally bends down until she catches the eyes of the woman who yelps and visibly struggles to keep her composure after being surprised by the purple-haired woman.

"Watanabe-san, I didn't even hear you walk up. Forgive me please." The teacher offers a small bow after recovering from her fright.

The 'Watanabe' grins at the woman, nodding her understanding. "So, I understand that you had a concern you wished to discuss with me in private?"

"Oh yes, please step inside." Entering the classroom, Ichigo's teacher leads Yoruichi over to a desk in the corner of the classroom.

Sitting down, Yoruichi notices that the woman seems very nervous as she gathers her thoughts. Keeping her own emotions as neutral as possible, the Gigai-clad Shinigami waits for the teacher to speak.

"Watanabe-san, has Ichigo ever had…delusions before?" Yumi suddenly asks in a careful tone.

Taken by in surprise, the golden-eyed woman shakes her head no. "No, why?"

The way Ichigo's teacher sighs and fidgets with her hands only makes Yoruichi grow more concerned. "I have noticed him…talking to himself lately when he thinks no one is around. Once he actually yelled in frustration at someone he called…Zangetsu, I think?"

The name is like a bombshell. It takes everything Yoruichi has from immediately jumping up from her seat to hunt down the orange-headed preteen, forcing herself into a mask of troubled concern instead. "I see. I'll talk to him tonight at home and see if I need to get him some help. If I do, is there someone you would recommend?"

The golden-eyed woman watches as the teacher starts searching through her papers for the information; inside however she is seething as she knows exactly what is going on.

'Little shit has been hiding the fact he can talk to his Zanpakutō! Time to remind him tonight why trying to hide things from me isn't a good idea.' A very evil smirk lights up her face, only to disappear completely as Ichigo's teacher turns back with a business card in her hand.

"Here you go Watanabe-san. This man is a very good psychiatrist; he has years of experience dealing with Kodomo who suffer from extreme emotional turmoil."

Yoruichi stiffens at that last bit. "What do you mean by that?"

Sensing she's offended the purple-haired woman, Ichigo's teacher quickly explains. "I'm sorry, but when I described what I had seen with Ichigo over this past week, he believes Ichigo may have suffered a serious trauma when he was younger. Is he correct Watanabe-san?"

Sensing the teacher's genuine concern about her ward, Yoruichi nods her head stiffly in answer. "Ichigo's Kazoku were killed in a terrible fire. He doesn't remember any of it, only that he woke up alone and orphaned. I was named his guardian in his Ryōshin's will and after taking him in, I was also the one who had to tell him."

'Oh Kami!' Ichigo's teacher mentally cringes. "If there is anything I can do for him I will, please, all you have to do is ask."

Standing up, Yoruichi bows sincerely to the woman. "I'll keep that in mind Yumi-Sensei, and thank you for sharing your concerns about Ichigo."

Ichigo's teacher bows in return to the departing woman. "Don't mention it. I hope it turns out to be nothing Watanabe-san."

"I'm sure it's nothing, but as the saying goes 'it's better to be safe than to be sorry'." With a final bow, the former Captain slips out of Ichigo's homeroom and extends her senses to locate her sneaky little ward.

It only takes a few moments before she is making a beeline to where she can feel Ichigo's tightly suppressed Reiatsu. Instead of the bullies she is expecting him to still be terrorizing, she turns the corner to see her orange-haired ward sitting on a bench looking extremely uncomfortable, while several female students have apparently managed to corner him, each of them sporting a blush as they talk excitedly to him. Grinning, Yoruichi decides to have a bit of fun with him as she walks up stealthily to the group.

"...So Ichigo-kun, is it okay if you help us with our math homework after school today? Pleeease?" Yoruichi hears a dark-eyed girl ask while twisting on her pigtails bashfully, the other girls nodding along eagerly with her request.

Before her ward can answer, Yoruichi pops up behind him and drapes her arms over his shoulders, crossing her hands over his heart as she lays her head on top of his. Smirking at the dumbstruck looks of the girls, she uses her most seductive voice possible to ruin their plans. "Sorry, Ichigo will be very…very busy after school today with me. He and I have some...things, we need to take care of. Perhaps later on in the week he can help you, if he has the...energy to. Now if you'll excuse us little ladies, I need some alone time with _my_ Ichigo."

Pulling the sputtering Ichigo away from the trio of frozen schoolgirls, the golden-eyed woman cackles internally as she leads him to an empty classroom and guides him inside after making sure no one is watching them. Placing a quick Kidō barrier on the door to dissuade anyone from trying to enter, she keeps her back to him for several minutes, carefully schooling her emotions. Hearing him shuffle his feet nervously, she finally turns and regards him with a critical eye. Looking him up and down, she sees that the once-scrawny seven year old crybaby is now a tough thirteen year old boy who could easily pass for a short sixteen or seventeen year old. Whereas once before he would shy away from her gaze in fear of offending her, he is now able to match her gaze evenly, clearly showing her his desire to make her proud in his eyes. Internally she smiles at how far he has come, and decides that he is indeed ready to take the next step.

"Don't speak, don't ask. As soon as school ends today, you are to come home immediately. There…are things you and I need to talk about, hard things Ichigo, things that need to be said. I believe its time for you to learn who you really are." After this cryptic statement, she gives a small smile as she walks up to Ichigo and pulls him into a gentle embrace.

"You don't know how special you are to me Ichigo, the promise I made to you on our first night together still remains true today."

His confusion translates itself into worry as his arms tighten around her waist. "What's wrong Yoruichi? W-What's going on?"

Gazing into his concerned brown eyes and fondly reminiscing about the times when he had to crane his head up just to meet her eyes, Yoruichi pushes his hair to one side and ruffles it fondly. "You know how much I love you right?"

"Hai."

"Promise me you'll come right home and I will tell you everything." She pulls his head down to kiss his forehead, adding to her instructions. "I promise you everything will be alright Ichigo."

Nodding in her hands, she sees his warm smile returning. "I trust you Yoruichi."

As she steps back, his hand catches hers; looking down at it she finds her face being cupped by his free hand and then his lips find her cheek. "I love you too…Yoruichi."

XXXX

Brown eyes glance at the clock in the room for the umpteenth time. Ever since Yoruichi left for home, he has been racking his brains as to what she could possibly have to tell him. Currently, he is in debate with his doppelganger and the old man.

'So, neither of you have any clue as to what she wants to tell me?' Ichigo hears Zangetsu murmur about pushy little boys and Yhwach simply chooses to ignore him.

'Come on Zangetsu! You know something don't you, you bastard!?' Ichigo cringes at the sudden headache that his doppelganger sends him in retaliation.

Looking up at the clock one more time, Ichigo hears the double tremble speaking to him. " **Listen King, it'd be best you heard it from her…she…well, the Queen knows what's best for you.** "

'Why do you keep calling me King, Zangetsu? And why is Yoruichi the Queen?' The orange-haired middle schooler demands petulantly.

The monochrome teen gives a put-upon sigh at having to answer this question yet again. " **I already told ya, when ya older I'll explain it to ya. Now stop worrying so much and concentrate on your Sensei, the one now staring you in the face…King.** "

Ichigo's eyes widen when he does indeed find himself being Koji-Sensei's direct target of scrutiny. "Ah, sorry…I was…thinking."

"Of course you are Watanabe-kun; now solve the problem on the board…" Ichigo is never so happy to hear the bell ringing, only for the ominous voice of his math teacher to end his glee. "We'll leave it on the board for you to solve tomorrow Watanabe-kun; hopefully, you'll have an answer by then."

Ignoring the chuckles and cat-calls from his classmates, Ichigo gathers his books only to find the same dark-haired, pig-tailed girl from earlier in the day standing next to his desk. "Ah, Watanabe-kun…I was wondering if you could come over and help me tomorrow…with my math? I mean, your…your…"

Ichigo sighs and rubs his brow. Looks like Yoruichi left a really shocking impression on his female classmates... which was probably her intention all along. "My guardian…and best friend Yamamoto-chan. But I'll ask and see if it's okay for me to stay after school tomorrow."

The girl looks fairly relieved by his clarification. "Oh, okay Watanabe-kun. Well, I guess...good luck and see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See ya." Ichigo replies, absently wondering what she is wishing him luck for, and completely forgetting the activities that Yoruichi had alluded to them needing to do in front of his female classmates.

Walking to the shoe lockers, Ichigo frowns when he sees a group of boys standing in front of his locker and making a nuisance of themselves. Recognizing the ringleader and his cronies from this morning, and guessing by the older looks of the other boys with him that he has gotten a high school kid or two as his backup this time, Ichigo cannot help but smirk at this ready outlet for his tension. Cracking his knuckles and tossing his satchel to the side, Ichigo feels Zangetsu getting all hyped up for this fight.

"So…Who's first **_this_ time**?"

Without even waiting for an answer, and completely ignoring the crowd around them, he lunges into the middle of the angry group and his first punch breaks the ringleader's nose.

XXXX

Arisawa Tatsuki knows she can't stop her foot from hitting her adoptive sister's face after she fails to see the glazed over eyes in time. Wincing as her foot smacks solidly into the girl's face, Tatsuki and their best friend Inoue Orihime immediately yell to the Dojo Sensei for help as they scramble to support the knocked-out girl. Rushing to their sides, the older man producesa bottle of smelling salts in his hand and begins to wave it under the unconscious pre-teen's nose. Soon enough, her light-brown eyes flicker open and a moan escapes from the mouth of the orange-haired young girl.

"Owwwie. What happened? I feel like I hit a brick wall again." Arisawa-Kurosaki Tamiko mumbles in a daze.

She is answered by Inoue Orihime's squeaky voice. "You didn't dodge Tatsuki's kick, Tamiko-chan."

"Yeah! If I wasn't so worried about you right now I would hit you again." Tatsuki follows it up with a finger-flick to her adoptive sister's nose. "What were you thinking, daydreaming like that?"

Rubbing her now sore nose, the orangette huffs at Tatsuki. "Sowby, I don't know whab happened. I founb myself feeling…an overwhelming sense of exhilaration. Like I wab someone else just now."

The dojo Sensei shines a pen-light into Tamiko's eyes as he holds her eyelid open. "Well, I don't think you have a concussion, but to be on the safe side, you are to take it easy for next few days, understand."

"Yeab Semsee…Sowby…I sound stubid…dammit." Orihime and Tatsuki both giggle while their Sensei smiles.

"Well, that's the end of training tonight girls. Tatsuki-chan, nice work ethics. Tamiko, other than what happened just now, you are improving rapidly in the short amount of time you've been here. I'm glad I have two students of your dedication, now make sure you keep an icepack on that bruise tonight to keep any swelling down, and I expect to see each of you this Friday." The dojo's Sensei rises to his feet and quickly makes his way to a group of parents after the two girls respond with simultaneous Hai.

Orihime and Tatsuki help Tamiko get to her feet and walk her towards the matriarch of the Arisawa family, Arisawa Kimiko. As the three young girls approach the older woman, the auburn-haired girl spies a familiar blue overnight bag in her hands.

"Arisawa-oba-san?" Orihime asks as she points towards the bag.

Smiling brightly, Kimiko replies to the best friend of both her daughters. "Sora-kun had to leave town for an unexpected business trip Orihime-chan, so he asked if it was alright for you to stay with us for the next three days."

"Oh, I see…I thought he was still mad at me. We…we had a fight the other night." Orihime's eyes glisten with her tears, and she hugs herself tightly.

Tatsuki and Tamiko both hug their friend, the orange-haired pre-teen whispering into her ear. "I'm sure that once he comes home, everything will be okay. All Kyoudai have arguments Hime-chan."

"I know, but…but we haven't spoken to each other since…I wanted to tell him that I'm sorry and how much I love him." The brown-eyed girl whimpers to her friend.

"He does love you silly, just you wait; when he comes back everything will be fine." Tamiko says as she picks up her bag.

Orihime wipes her tears away with a handkerchief and smiles for them. "I'll make it up to him; somehow I'll make sure he knows he's the best Aniki in the world!"

Kimiko smiles at the three girls before she spots Tamiko's bruised cheek and lifts her chin to get a better look; wincing at the sight, the elder Arisawa gently runs her fingertip over it. "We'll stop for some cover-up Tami-chan, but I'm afraid you'll be black and blue for a few days."

Tamiko gives her a wide grin. "Don't worry about it Kimiko-kaa-chan, it wouldn't be the worst I've sported." Light-brown eyes sparkle with merriment as the older woman rolls her eyes.

"No, it wouldn't Tami-chan. One of these days I will have to speak to this Urahara person again and ask him who you get your temper from." Kimiko says as she holds the door to the dojo open.

Shrugging her shoulders, the adoptive daughter of the Arisawa family answers back quietly. "I'd like to know that too."

XXXX

Ichigo pauses in the entryway, still holding both buckets at arm's length.

For as long as he can remember, Mia has never been waiting for him with anything but a smile when he returns home to their mountain estate. Seeing her somber face, Ichigo immediately knows something different has been planned for him, especially when she motions to him to set the pails down instead of taking it from him. He steps away from the Genkan after taking his shoes off and places the pails down at her feet.

Looking him over carefully, the elderly woman finally smiles and pats him on the shoulder. "She's waiting in the dojo Ichigo-kun. Instructions are in your room." Without further ado, she grabs the buckets of water and disappears into the kitchen.

Running as fast as he can to his room, Ichigo slides the door open with a slight bang and freezes when he sees a package in the middle of the Tatami mats, a letter laid on top of it. Carefully approaching the wooden box, he picks up the letter and begins to read it.

'Ichigo,

Dress as I have instructed. Don't deviate and don't wear the facemask as you have not yet earned the right to do so. When you find me, say nothing and study me completely.

Yoruichi.'

Opening the top of the box, Ichigo begins to pull out the contents, a set of black uniform pieces. Once he has everything laid out, he follows his Sensei's instructions to the letter. Fifteen minutes later, he looks at himself in the mirror; staring back at him is what he can only imagine a ninja might have looked like. The top of his black tabi are covered by black bandages that also hold the bottom of his tight Hakama pants in. The black uniform top is unlike any he has worn before, loose around his chest, but his sleeves are almost skin-tight with another set of bandages that cover his wrists and his forearms, his hands covered by fingerless gloves. The entire suit is form-fitting, almost as if it was tailored specifically for him. But when was it made? As a growing boy, his measurements change quickly, so it had to have been sometime recent...

Closing the doors of his room behind him, he hurries over to the room he has spent much of his free time during the last six years in. Opening the shoji doors silently, Ichigo bows to the meditating woman and enters; as he approaches, he slows down as he spies, much to his surprise, a white glow that now surrounds her entire body. Wordlessly her hand shoots out and points to a spot in front of her; not a word is spoken to him as he sits and begins to follow the second part of her letter's instructions.

Looking straight at Yoruichi's face, Ichigo is somewhat puzzled by her orders until he truly stares hard at her closed eyes and notices something he knows cannot be right. Following her skin down to her cheeks and mouth, he frowns at what is missing from the face he knows so well: her wrinkles. Ghosting his eyes further down, his cheeks heat up when he notices her normally slightly sagging chest no longer sags, but instead seems very firm and perky. Quickly he moves away from that part of her body and observes how tight her own black uniform is. The sheer definition of her muscle tone under the skintight uniform shocks him; having sparred with her daily over the years, he knows she keeps her body in tip-top condition, but this makes the woman from this morning look 'plain' in comparison to the goddess now in front of him .

Swallowing uneasily, he begins to study the white light surrounding Yoruichi, only to reprimand himself when his hand almost reaches out to touch it, knowing he isn't supposed to move until she says otherwise. Lost in his observations, he fails to see his guardian opening her eyes slightly and beginning her own study of the young man whose life she is about to change forever.

A small smile graces her lips as she watches him observe her. He has come so far, surpassed every single expectation of hers, and wormed his way deeply into her heart. Seeing him sitting there in the traditional garb of the Onmitsukidō like he was born to wear it and observing her intently, she knows without a doubt that he is ready for the next step.

"Ichigo." She sees his head snap up and look straight into her eyes. "Tell me what you see."

The orange-haired teen stays quiet at first, then he begins to describe what he sees, blushing as he quickly covers the changes he has observed in her chest area. She smirks inwardly but keeps her face completely neutral until he finishes.

"Do you see anything else?"

Blinking, he hesitates but finally speaks. "T-There's a white light around you. I don't know what it is though."

She has never had any doubt, but hearing him confirm it still gives her a sense of relief. "You can see it, very good Ichigo. What you are looking at is my Reiatsu, the physical release of my Reiryoku, my Spiritual Powers." Fighting back the urge to smirk widely at the lost look on his face, she raises a hand to the side. "Now watch closely. Bakudō Number Four: Hainawa."

As the yellow rope like energy speeds towards a blanket covered chair, Ichigo sees Yoruichi snap her wrist at the last second causing the energy to only ensnare the bottom corner of the blanket. He watches as the blanket is ripped off the chair, revealing a body, a body he knows all too well. Sitting in the chair with her eyes closed, is a near exact replica of the woman in front of him. His jaw drops as his eyes home in on her face, seeing what is missing from the face of the woman before him, and several horrifying conclusions clawing their way to the forefront of his mind immediately.

"W-What's going on?" He yells as he jumps to his feet and backs away, instincts torn between trying to grab the body of the Yoruichi he knows before fleeing, and fleeing by himself before coming back for her body later. Panic filling his mind, he can almost hear Yoruichi admonishing him, reminding him of her teachings: that panic clouds the mind, to keep calm and observant in any situation to gain as much possible information before acting on it.

Yoruichi's eyes had not once left Ichigo while he was having his near panic attack. She did not miss him twitching in the direction of her Gigai before forcibly pulling himself back, inwardly touched that even in such a shocking situation he would still instinctively react to rescue her, or rather her faux-body, instead of utilizing all the skill she had taught him to get himself out of danger. Even now, his loyalty to her is keeping him firmly in place while her teachings on observation and panic control slowly reassert their control on his mind.

She doesn't let any of this show up on her face, however.

Pointing back to Ichigo's original spot, the golden-eyed woman speaks. "Do not worry. I am the same Yoruichi you have always known. Sit down and I will explain it to you... but first." She fixes him with a stare. "How long have you been talking to Zangetsu?"

Caught off guard by her question, Ichigo defaults to his usual response when trying to hide something. "What? I don't know…"

He is cut off by his golden-eyed guardian before he can make his excuses. "I'm not mad Ichigo; I already know what is going on with you. I just wanted to know how long you have been talking to him." Yoruichi says gently.

Forcefully reining in his panic, Ichigo finally decides that if the person in front of him is an imposter, she's a very good one. At the very least he will go along with her until he knows more about the situation. "About a year now. At first I didn't know if they were real or not…"

Yoruichi can't help the slight gasp that escapes her. "They!? You have a Daishō pair?"

The purple-haired woman watches as Ichigo seems to zone out for a second before he answers. "They say not exactly, more like they represent different aspects of my soul. I don't know what they mean though. Do you?"

The golden-eyed woman has a mild flashback of the night of the disaster. "I believe I do Ichigo, but you will need to sit down for this. It may take a few hours to explain everything." Yoruichi hides her excitement at the prospect of her student having the potential of being only the third Shinigami to wield dual Zanpakutō.

Nervously making his way back to the middle of the dojo, Ichigo slowly sits down in front of Yoruichi, still glancing every now and then at her Gigai in the chair. Yoruichi rolls her eyes, inwardly smiling at his obvious concern for her.

"Fine, I know you will not relax until you have an answer for that," she says, gesturing to her Gigai. Rising to her feet with a smooth movement, she walks over to the Gigai and, before Ichigo can do anything, simply sits down and vanishes into the body.

The young teen gapes as the Yoruichi in the chair blinks her eyes open, then smiles at Ichigo and waves at him. "See? It's me. Now I'll show you how I came out." She raises her hand which is clad in a strange glove he has never seen her wear before, then she places it on her chest and pushes. A moment later, the younger Yoruichi is standing behind her, and the older Yoruichi in the chair slumps lifelessly again, arm dropping back to her side.

Yoruichi walks back to her original position and sits down again, grinning at the slack-jawed look on her young ward's face. "It's called a Gigai, a faux-body that simulates real body processes like aging. As you can tell, my actual body does not sag... at all." Here she squeezes her breasts lightly, causing Ichigo to blush at the not-so subtle reminder of his earlier observations.

With a sigh, the golden-eyed woman decides to stop teasing the poor boy. "Alright Ichigo... now that I have explained that to you, are you ready to listen to what I have to tell you?"

At the return of the serious look on Yoruichi's face, Ichigo straightens up and nods at her. He can tell that the time for levity and jokes has passed; whatever his guardian and mentor has to tell him next will be more shocking than just learning about her Gigai.

Seeing that Ichigo is now mentally prepared, Yoruichi takes a deep breath, then begins.

"The first thing you should know, Ichigo, is your real name. Not the name of your Kazoku, Kurosaki, but your true name: Shiba Ichigo. Your Otou-san is Shiba Isshin; a former Taichou for the Gotei Thirteen and a nobleman of the Shiba Clan, while your Okaa-san was a pure-blood Quincy; her Kazoku's name was Kurosaki, and the events I am about to tell you of will explain how they would eventually meet and fall in love…"

For the first hour and a half Ichigo sits absolutely spellbound as his golden-eyed guardian, the woman he considers the closest thing to a mother he can remember having, explains the series of events that lead up to his birth. His mind whirls in shock as she explains that she and a few other Shinigami, his father included, were from a place called Soul Society, the Afterlife, and then she tells him why she and several others are now in self-exile in the World of the Living.

She explains how over a hundred years ago, a young but powerful Shinigami named Aizen Sōsuke had been caught by her best friend and his comrade conducting unspeakable experiments on both normal souls and Shinigami alike. Urahara Kisuke, she tells him, was the former Captain of Squad Twelve, and was also the founder and first president of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.

Barely escaping Aizen's retaliation, he and Tsukabishi Tessai, the then-Captain of the Kidō Corp fled back to Seireitei, only to be declared traitors and told they were to be tried by Central Forty Six, with 'evidence' supplied by Aizen framing both Kisuke and Tessai for his own twisted experiments on four Captains and four Lieutenants. She reveals that Aizen's Zanpakutō has the power of Complete Hypnosis, the ability to completely fool all of the senses of his targets, something they learned only after it was too late to stop him. As a result, Central Forty Six had disregarded any and all evidence supplied to the contrary and had even went as far as to issue orders to execute the eight Seated Officers who had been caught up in Aizen's schemes, a decision which left Ichigo with a sickened feeling, especially after Yoruichi explains what the Hollowfication experiments had done to them and how much they had suffered in the process.

A grim smirk breaks out on her face as she tells him how she had broken into Central Forty Six and rescued her two friends, along with the eight Seated Officers that Aizen had experimented on. Knowing he couldn't stay in Soul Society and find a cure for the eight Hollowfied Shinigami at the same time, it was decided that they would retreat to the Living World and seek refuge in Japan, more specifically the Reishi-dense Karakura town so that he could work on finding a cure for them. Ichigo is curious to know what happened to the eight, but Yoruichi asks him to hold his questions on them for the moment.

"I'll get to them later Ichigo, but first I need you to understand what exactly a Hollow is."

The orange-haired boy listens intently as his guardian describes the various ways a human soul can become a Hollow; staying too long in the World of the Living, giving into great despair, or being corrupted by another Hollow are some of the examples she speaks of. He shudders when she tells him who the first victims of a new Hollow would most likely be, namely their loved ones. She then explains how at some point in the past when there were too many Hollows for the Shinigami to handle, humans sought ways to protect themselves, eventually giving rise to the Quincies.

Pausing slightly, Yoruichi begins to explain to Ichigo the main difference between how a Shinigami purifies a soul to how Quincies would destroy the soul. While the Shinigami would send a purified soul back into the Cycle of Rebirth and allow them to be reborn, the Quincies would destroy the soul utterly, removing it from the Cycle of Rebirth and indirectly imbalance the whole of existence. Looking into his brown eyes, the Shihōin Princess sadly informs Ichigo that after years of being unable to cooperate and find a way to keep the 'balance', Soul Society was left with little choice but to exterminate the entire prideful group of humans, leaving behind few survivors.

Here she stops and grips her hands tightly. "Ichigo, what I am about to tell you will be hard to understand, but this is how your Otou-san and Okaa-san met and eventually married to start their own Kazoku."

Already captivated by the past that Yoruichi had skillfully narrated for him, Ichigo doesn't blink as his guardian recounts the story of how Shiba Isshin came to the World of the Living to find the Hollow responsible for the deaths of his Squad members. Finding the Hollow was the easy part, but the fight that ensued afterwards wasn't. She describes Isshin's feelings of betrayal when he was cut down from behind by Aizen and his two Lieutenants, then she recounts his amazement at finding himself being saved by a teenage Quincy, a very beautiful and courageous girl named Kurosaki Masaki who had allowed the Hollow to bite her so she could deal it a decisive and fatal blow.

Ichigo's eyes sparkle as Yoruichi recounts how his father, Isshin threw his body in front of Ichigo's mother in his desperation to save her when the Hollow self-destructed. After successfully rescuing Masaki, the young Captain had returned to Soul Society, where Isshin lied to the Head Captain and left out of his report the young woman who saved him; finding himself being more and more intrigued by his savior, he left Soul Society to see her again.

Yoruichi pauses as she steels herself for the hardest part of the tale. "Ichigo, what I'm about to tell you has direct bearing on you…and your Imouto."

"I-Imouto? I thought…I was the only survivor. Yoruichi?" Ichigo feels like the walls of his world are closing in on him, slamming shut on everything he once thought to be true.

"I'll tell you everything you wish to know when I finish, Ichigo, but let me finish their story first okay?" She pauses, and seeing his brief nod, she continues with her tale.

"When Isshin came back to the Living World, he found Masaki's Itoko carrying her; a Hollow hole was forming in her neck…"

Ichigo listens as Yoruichi describes the events of his mother slowly dying from the Hollow infection she received from the battle. How her cousin Ishida Ryūken, who was also her fiancée at the time through an arranged marriage, carried her out of the house in desperation and tried to find help for her. It was only when he ran into Ichigo's father and blamed him for Masaki's condition that Urahara Kisuke made his appearance. Offering a way to save the young woman at the cost of Isshin's Shinigami powers, he left the decision up to Isshin, who agreed to it without even hesitating in the slightest.

"Ichigo, your Otou-san tied his soul to Masaki that night, preventing her from dying from Soul Suicide. You see, if a Quincy is infected by a Hollow, they don't simply change, they just die. By tying your Otou-san's soul to your Okaa-san's, Kisuke was able to save her. However, one of the costs to saving her was that she was no longer a Pure Blood Quincy, and the marriage to Ryūken was null and voided. She left the Ishida house after graduating high school and a few years later, she and Isshin got married, then they had you, followed by your Imouto."

Ichigo feels the gut-wrenching pull at his soul when he sees Yoruichi's distant and sad look.

"For ten years they lived a normal, happy life, until that night Ichigo. That night, more Hollows then normal flooded into the World of the Living, so many that we were barely able to keep up. We did our best to help the Shinigami stationed there, but we also had to keep hidden so as not to draw Aizen's attention to us...Because of that, a young Plus Soul was chased by a Hollow we had missed into the path of a petrol truck and caused its driver to crash…The crash that resulted in an explosion and fire that destroyed over half a block of residential homes, including yours Ichigo. Only two Kodomo survived that horrible night, you and your Imouto, Tamiko."

Ichigo's eyes had progressively widened as Yoruichi recounted the tale of that horrible night, and she could see the growing tears in his eyes. Tears that her beloved ward had fought for years to never shed again. "Tamiko…S-She's alive!? Why didn't you tell me, Yoruichi!? Why did you lie to me!?"

His hands grips the tatami mat beside him tightly, bunching them up in his fists. "W-What about Kaa-chan, the twins!? Are they at least safe, alive!? Tell me Yoruichi!" Ichigo looks at her in desperation, willing with every fiber of his being that his birth family is still alive.

Yoruichi closes her eyes in resignation. "Your Okaa-san and the twins perished that night, Ichigo. I do not know if they went to Soul Society immediately upon their deaths or were returned to the Cycle of Rebirth, but your Otou-san returned to Soul Society soon after entrusting you and Tamiko to us in order to find them. Unfortunately, I haven't seen or heard from him since that night Ichigo. I wish I could tell you differently, but I honestly don't know anything about them for now."

She hesitates, knowing the next part will be a blow for the trust between them. "As for Tamiko…she's still living in Karakura Town, with a Kazoku that your Ryōshin had been friends with, the Arisawa's."

Ichigo had been visibly trembling as she continued, and he finally erupts at this news. "You lied to me! You said I was alone! No one was… You said no one was..!"

Choking back a sob, he tries to get to his feet but the former assassin is quicker. Grabbing his arms, she forces him back to the mat and glares down at him. "We did it to save your lives Ichigo! Didn't you listen to me earlier, Aizen might be watching her even now, more than likely studying her because of what she is, what you are!"

Glaring at his former mentor, he angrily wipes his tears away and asks what makes him so 'important' that Aizen would want to study him.

Yoruichi sighs tiredly. All this has been just as draining on her as it has been on Ichigo, even if he doesn't realize it. "Because, Ichigo, you and Tamiko are the first of a new species. You are a human Quincy by blood, born with Shinigami powers and the taint of a Hollow running through your veins. Understand this: you and Tamiko are unlike anything ever seen or even thought of to be possible. The only reason you and Tamiko survived that night is because one of you tapped into your Hollow powers and protected both of you. It would also explain why Isshin regained his Shinigami powers that night; his tie to the Hollow's soul that was suppressing its power was cut, meaning that one of you embraced the Hollow as your own." Her golden-eyes pin the young human to the mat, willing him to understand the amount of danger he is in from people who would either kill him or experiment on him.

Unfortunately, Ichigo's mental stability had been overwhelmed by the repeated shocks within such a short timeframe, and he immediately jumps on the worst possible conclusion to all of it. "Is...Is that all I am to you? An experiment? Some weapon you are training in case Aizen finds Tamiko before you can use her against hi-" He suddenly finds himself being hauled to his feet before a sharp slap rings out across his face.

Clutching his stinging face, Ichigo stares bewilderedly at the purple-haired woman before him, her Reiatsu incandescent in her rage. More than that, he stares at the hurt and unshed tears shining in her golden eyes. "How dare you, Ichigo! How dare you question my love for you! I…I…I love you Ichigo as if you were my own. I never wanted to hurt you, but to protect you, teach you, train you so that one day you could face the world on your own two feet and protect yourself and Tamiko, I won't allow you for even one second to think that my life with you was anything but the truth!"

Stepping until she is face to face with the thirteen year old boy, she seems to tower over him despite their similar stature. Ichigo flinches as she reaches out, only to gasp as she pulls him down into her embrace. "Ichigo, when I first started to raise you, yes I only did it out of obligation to your Otou-san, to keep you safe and allow you to live as normal a life as possible. Aizen has eyes everywhere, so it was decided to split you and Tamiko up, separate you so that at least one of you would remain safe, with Kisuke deciding that it should be you."

Touching his sore cheek tenderly, she applies a low-level Kaidō and heals him as she continues speaking. "But over time Ichigo, I found myself not raising you out of duty, but out of my growing love for you. You grew on me, your eagerness, and your abilities to learn in your human body. Ichigo, you became my 'special person', someone I can love unconditionally, you hold a place in my heart that I thought I'd never fill again."

Ichigo feels his hand being placed over the heart of the woman in front of him, but all he can see are the tears flowing from her golden eyes. Eyes that have always looked at him with love and pride all this time that he has known her. "Here, here is where you belong to me Ichigo. I don't ever want to lose you like I did my first true companion. I had to leave her behind so she could grow to become her own person, so she could step out from behind my shadow and take her rightful place in life, but even so I believe I may have made a terrible mistake. With you however, I find myself wanting to hold on to you, to keep you next to me, to watch over you as you grow and become the person I know you can be. I may not your Okaa-san Ichigo, but I feel that if I had a Musuko-san, it would and should be you."

She rests her head on his shoulder, staining his clothes with her tears. "I'm sorry for keeping the truth from you, Ichigo, but we did it to keep you safe. If you... if you want, I'll take you to see where Tamiko lives so you can meet her." With that, Yoruichi ends her confession, hoping that she hasn't destroyed her relationship with Ichigo beyond any hope of salvation.

Staring at where his hand is, Ichigo can feel the beating of her heart under his skin. He looks down at the full mane of lustrous purple hair that he has tended to for years, just like she has tended to his, then he gently pushes her back to look into those eyes he is so familiar with. He loses himself as he looks into her golden orbs, recalling the many memories he has gained over the last six years with the person now in front of him. Memories of them, of Mia, of the good and bad times, of the nightmares he no longer suffers from as he lies in the warmth of her arms at night, breathing in her scent and knowing that above all he is safe. Bowing his head, he knows that she has done all this for him without once asking for anything from him in return, and he can only feel a deep sense of shame at his accusations towards her.

'You knew didn't you, Zangetsu, Yhwach? You knew what I was, what you both are?' Ichigo mentally asks of his two spirits.

A sigh comes from the younger of the two. " **We knew Ichigo. We have always known what we were; what you and the Queen were. Yhwach and I decided long ago that if you needed to know the truth, it should be from her. The Queen means far more to you than you realize, King. Be grateful she is the one who raised you and not some stranger.** " Message clearly delivered, Zangetsu falls silent.

Yhwach continues for his partner. " **Shihōin-sama is the center of your world, is she not Ichigo? Who do you always think of first when you wake? Who occupies your thoughts before you sleep? Zangetsu is correct, your life could have been very much different, much more difficult had a stranger raised you without understanding what they were dealing with. She knew, and has been preparing you for the day you can finally wield the power you have within you. She is also correct in her statement Ichigo; there is no other being like you or your Imouto. Now what do you want to do? Stand still and wallow in grief for what could have been, or move forward and face the future with open eyes and your Queen by your side?** "

Ichigo inwardly growls at their constant harping on his relationship with Yoruichi. 'I want to hate you both right now for not telling me…but…but I guess I can understand why you didn't tell me…I probably wouldn't have believed you.' He mentally sighs, hearing two huffs agreeing with him.

Finally focusing again on the golden orbs in front of him, he tries to analyze his current feelings towards his mentor. He wants so badly to be angry with her, but in truth he simply can't find it in himself to do so. She has taken care of him since that horrible night, comforted him in his darkest times, trained him as soon as he was prepared to do so, and shared every bit of her life with him, never leaving his side whenever he needed her the most. Especially after the nightmares had started, he would never forget the feeling of waking up safely in her arms, her body wrapped itself around his in a warm and protective cocoon.

"I… forgive you Yoruichi. And can you... forgive me? I…I'm sorry for ever doubting you, and I'm sorry for everything that I said to you..." Ichigo blinks back his own tears, failing as the shame and guilt from hurting the woman who had raised and protected him with such unconditional love with his unkind accusations starts to roll down his face in thick rivulets.

Yoruichi says nothing; the strength of her hug and the damp fabric on his shoulder is answer enough for him.

He hugs her back just as tightly. "Teach me everything Yoruichi. Teach me everything I need to know to use this power, to protect my Kazoku... to protect you."

Moving her lips closer to his ear, she whispers to him hoarsely, tears of joy continuing to flow down her cheeks. "You'll regret ever saying those words to me Ichigo. I promise you this, I will expect the impossible from you, and you will give it to me."

XXXX

Eight years after the incident…

Dodging to his left, Ichigo swings the shorter Bokken at his opponent's feet, simultaneously swinging the longer Bokken in an upward sweep to catch her as she flips over his head. Grinning when he sees a few strands of her hair caught in the tip of his Bokken, he feels emboldened enough to roll backwards in an attempt to cut her off, swinging both Bokken at where her chest should be when she lands. What he doesn't expect is for her not to land, but instead to halt in mid-air and allow him to roll underneath her body, before she drops down behind him and taps her own wooden sword against the back of his neck.

Groaning from both the long battle and from his disappointment at losing again, Ichigo flops to the floor and nods his head once. "I yield."

Yoruichi cheekily bops him on the head with her bokken before turning to their record keeper. "Chalk one more up for me, Mia!"

As the smiling Mod-Soul adds one more notch to Yoruichi's side of the scoreboard, Ichigo finally rolls into an upright seated position. "Dammit!" His hand smacks the tatami mat hard enough to cause the room to shake from the strike, and gaining a disapproving look from the older woman. "I'll never beat you at this pace Yoruichi."

Before he can even start to sulk, his body is sent flying forward from the flat of Yoruichi's Bokken smacking him on the back of his head. Swiftly turning around, he barely dodges the follow up swing and glares at his smirking guardian and Sensei. "Oi, what the hell Yoruichi!?"

Dropping down to squat beside her annoyed ward, the Shihōin princess grabs his head in a firm headlock and gives him a noogie, speaking to him in a tone that one would use to speak to a toddler. "Ichigo, everyday when we spar like this, you grow in leaps and bounds and I am thoroughly impressed… that is right until the moment you decide to speak up you moron! Look at the clock!"

Swiveling his eyes to stare past Yoruichi's cleavage to the clock on the wall, he sees only twenty five minutes have passed since they started this duel. His confusion clear on his face, he turns to look back at his glaring Sensei. "So?"

She rolls her eyes, and the next thing he knows he is staring at the ceiling, hearing Yoruichi speak after she had grabbed his head and flipped him onto his back. "You amaze me Ichigo, you really do. Do you know how many Onmitsukidō can claim to have done what you just did? I can count on my two hands how many each year used to pass this test."

She continues when Ichigo refuses to speak. "I restrict you to using only your Bokken and three square meters of space, while fighting me in my soul form using all the space at my disposal which allowed me to use my superior speed and mobility against you, and yet you kept me from defeating you for twenty five minutes while you were still in your 'human' body. None of my subordinates have ever pushed past ten minutes when we put them through their paces back in Soul Society, and each of them are trained as Shinigami! Now tell me Ichigo, just how in the hell do you think you lost?"

"I didn't win…only got a few strands of your hair" He weakly holds up his Bokken to show Yoruichi, barely dodging her retaliatory foot stomp.

The golden-eyed woman growls at him, both at his inability to comprehend his level of power and the fact that he had actually cut off a few strands of her hair. With a huff, she finally fixes him with a steady look. "You're ready then."

After lifting his head up, the orange-haired teen stares right at his sparring partner and teacher with curiosity. "Huh, ready for what?"

"To have your Chain of Fate cut."

Ichigo feels his mouth go dry instantly. Yoruichi had spoken to him at length about what that means for him. Rubbing his chest, he gulps when he feels moisture returning to the desert that is his mouth.

"Y-You really think I am?" Ichigo feels both his spirits also giving the golden-eyed woman their full attention.

The purple-haired woman nods at him seriously. "Yes you are Ichigo. I can't teach you anymore…handicapped as you are now." She waves at his body... his human body.

"So does that mean you're done training me?" He shifts gears quickly when he sees her eyes narrow dangerously and worse, white Reiatsu beginning to form along her arms and shoulder blades. "Wait! Wait! I…I meant done training me until I can separate from my body I mean!"

He heaves a sigh of relief when that dangerous white Reiatsu recedes back into his teacher's body. "I thought that's what you meant Ichigo. If it had been anything else, you'd be running around the woods, naked…again." She smirks when he blanches from that particular memory of failing one of her tests in a spectacular fashion when he began to train in earnest three years ago.

Her sudden shift in demeanor back to her usual cheerful self however has him silently thanking the Reiō for his quick thinking, even though both he and his Sensei know that he would never actually shirk from any of her training. With a smile, Yoruichi stands up first and offers her hand to him. Letting the woman pull him to his feet with ease, Ichigo bows to acknowledge the end of the training session, while receiving one from her in return.

As they turn to head towards the bathroom, Yoruichi continues speaking. "You're ready, but the question remains, do you still want to attempt it Ichigo? Once it begins there is no turning back, you will either gain your Shinigami powers or you will…" She cuts herself off, unwilling to give voice to the other outcome.

"…die as a Hollow." Ichigo finishes for her. Walking up to Yoruichi, he wraps his arms around the smaller woman and gives her a squeeze. "I trust you to do the right thing…"

'My Queen.'

XXXX

"I want a nice long scrub Ichigo, last time was pitifully quick. Don't know what's gotten into you lately, but you're really slacking on your part of the bath." Yoruichi remarks as she leans forward with her hands on her knees, legs spread slightly wider than normal as she stares into Ichigo's eyes.

Kneeling on the floor, it takes everything Ichigo has in him not to gulp as he fights the urge to stare below her neck, simply nodding along with his answer. "I'll do better tonight Yoruichi, promise."

"You sure? I get this feeling something's wrong with you, are you getting sick?" She grabs his head with one hand and pulls him closer, pressing her other hand against his forehead and humming thoughtfully.

Ichigo swallows nervously as his face is suddenly brought right up to Yoruichi's breast, so close that if he accidentally moves his lips he can almost touch her areola... He almost misses her question. "You don't feel like you have a fever, you sure everything's okay with you?"

"I-I'm sure Yoruichi, just thinking too much lately, honest." Ichigo prays to the Reiō that his voice doesn't tremble, forcing his eyes up as he watches his guardian regard him with clear suspicion, before she finally turns around on her stool.

"Water ain't going to stay hot forever Ichi-kun, start scrubbing my back…nice and slow though; I want to feel your fingers work my stiffness out tonight." She smirks when he hears him curse quietly, but not quiet enough for her hearing. She already has a vague idea as to what is causing his reticence, but she plans to confirm it first before doing anything.

Washing her back as commanded, Ichigo swears her skin feels as smooth as silk under his fingertips as they ghost over it every so often, and he cannot stop the thoughts that invade his mind as his hands reach the top of the cleft of her bottom, slipping further south than strictly necessary. Feeling the heat building in his cheeks, Ichigo stamps down on those thoughts hard; he doesn't want to embarrass either himself or Yoruichi by allowing his hormones to get the better of him.

Shifting to washing her hair, he tries to keep his eyes focused on his task at hand, running his fingers through the long purple tresses of Yoruichi's silky hair, but again he finds his eyes drifting around to take in the sight of her flawless, dark-tanned skin, her slender yet muscled shoulders and arms, the enticing curve of her ribs, the droplets of moisture that slowly trail south to the tight flesh of her rear...Feeling his arousal stir uncomfortably, he hurriedly takes in a deep breath, forcefully shaking the images from his head and focusing on working the knots out of her hair gently once more.

The orange-haired teen hadn't been bothered by either Yoruichi's nudity or his when they took their baths together, up until that all-too-real dream two weeks ago. He had no idea he was even capable of having those types of dreams, especially about the person whose hair he is now washing. When he had woken up in a sweaty-sticky mess afterwards, he found Yoruichi wrapped around him as usual, her clothes sticking to her sweaty body, her chest rising and falling just inches from his face as her warm sweet breath tickled his senses. It only made the vivid images of his dreams come to life with startling clarity. Her chest was barely covered by the thin T-shirts she had taken to wearing to bed, neither did the skimpy shorts she liked to wear help prevent his raging libido from flaring to life as his eyes wandered up her long shapely legs to their junction that radiated with an invisible heat. The added fact that she had taken to sleeping in her soul form at night made his situation worse, her body was just that perfect in his mind.

When he finally managed to untangle himself from her arms without causing any additional mess, he went directly to the bathroom to clean up. He still remembers how he had groaned at the sticky mess in his pants, choosing to take a cold bath before sneaking out to burn his pajamas in the fire pit out back. After making sure that all evidence of his accident was gone, Ichigo had nearly went into a separate room to sleep, but as he passed by their room, he saw her hand clawing around for his missing body, a frown on her face followed by muttered growls of 'where is he?'. Defeated by her need, he crawled back under the sheets with Yoruichi and soon she was wrapping those arms and legs of hers around his body again, a purr erupting from her throat as she whispered those damning words in his ear.

'Don't you ever leave me Ichigo…you're mine.'

Shivering from the influx of memories, Ichigo places too much pressure on Yoruichi's shoulder, only to slip on her smooth wet skin and tumble from the stool he was seated on, smacking face-first into her sculpted back and catching the attention of the golden-eyed woman. "Something wrong Ichigo?"

His stuttering answer makes the Shihōin princess glance over her shoulder to see Ichigo's furiously blushing face before he can scramble away from her. Smiling to herself at the confirmation of her guess, she knows this is bound to happen sooner or later, and she is silently thankful it did, proving her young ward is a healthy young male when it comes to seeing a beautiful nude woman. Not only is this a relief to her, she also gains an extra thrill from knowing that she is the one who had made him this way.

Turning on her stool to face him fully, Yoruichi sees his eyes drop almost helplessly to her breasts, before he hurriedly averts his gaze again. Tsking to herself, she puts a hand on either side of his head and forces him to look her in the eyes.

"What's wrong Ichigo?" She gently prods him.

If anything, his face grows even redder, and his entire body seems to hunch in on itself as his eyes do their best to drill a hole into the ceiling. Curious about this reaction, she's about to ask him again when it finally hits her what is happening to him.

'Oh, my.' She has to forcibly hold herself back from bursting into laughter, knowing that it would scar the poor young male in front of her. But it really is so cute, the way he is desperately trying to hide the evidence of his arousal from her.

Letting go of his face, Yoruichi tilts his chin up so she can look him in his eyes, a knowing yet accepting smile on her face. "It's okay Ichigo. What you are feeling is normal for a boy your age, and I'm not offended by it. Far from it actually. Anyway, if it's making you so uncomfortable, why don't you tell me what's making you so worried in that head of yours?"

Hurriedly shaking his head no, Yoruichi just smirks at him until he finally relents. "P-Promise you won't get mad at me if I tell you?"

She shrugs, idly noting how his eyes flicker down again before focusing back on her eyes. "I promise. Now, what's going on in that noggin of yours?"

Perhaps unsurprisingly, she sees Ichigo blush a bright crimson red before averting his eyes from her. "About two weeks ago something happened that, well it made me feel ashamed of myself…"

Yoruichi listens to Ichigo tell her of his first wet dream, and what he did afterwards because he didn't feel right about it. She notices his hesitation as he admits to the dreams he has been having every night afterwards, about her. She can also tell he is truly conflicted by what is happening to him as he speaks, and when he finishes, she leans forward and pulls him tight against her, making sure to bury his face in her bare chest.

"You're fine Ichigo, what's happening to you is something all young men go through when they mature. You are just a late bloomer, I was actually expecting you to start on this a few years back...Trust me when I say it's perfectly normal for every boy your age to experience wet dreams…"

She pauses when something smacks the inside of her leg, twitching slightly against her wet flesh. Her eyes widen as she looks down, seeing the very stiff evidence of Ichigo's arousal prodding against her thigh, then her eyes take in his very mortified, red-faced expression.

"Ehm...Sorry…?" The golden-eyed woman holds in a snigger as she beholds the wonder of a full-body blush on Ichigo, the increased blood flow through his capillaries certainly doing wonders for a certain part of his anatomy. "It has a mind of its own?"

Yoruichi grins, unperturbed by his arousal still rubbing slightly against her skin. "Most do Ichigo. We'll discuss this tonight before bed. First though, you're gonna finish my hair, and then I'll tell you how to relieve that yourself." She feels his entire body go rigid even as his member twitches fiercely at the suggestion.

"Oh Kami no! You…you ain't going to tell me to do…that are you!?"

Giving him an evil smirk, Yoruichi just turns back around on her stool. "So you know about that do you? Good! You do know…."

"Please don't say it Yoruichi, please I'm begging you." He knows his plea is falling on deaf ears, almost feeling the triumphant glee radiating from his purple-haired guardian as she continues anyway.

"...that probably ninety percent of boys your age do it Ichigo. Just don't do it in the shower, not unless I am done before you…"

Ichigo slams his hands down on his twitching arousal, cursing the imagery that her words put into his mind. "Dammit Yoruichi!"

He hears a snicker come from her as she delivers her punch line. "…and don't pull too hard either Ichigo; contrary to popular belief, it doesn't grow bigger."

"YORUICHI!"

XXXX

After drying off Yoruichi at her insistence, Ichigo dries himself off as well and puts on his usual night clothes for bed. Saying good night to Mia as he passes her in the hallway, he goes into the kitchen to drink one last glass of water before heading back to his room with his purple-haired guardian, snorting to himself that after all these years, she still allows him to sleep on the same futon as her without questioning the type of relationship they truly have. It is a question that has started to plague his mind recently. After all, he knows he isn't in the same league as the men she must have had fighting over her when she was a noble in Soul Society, but still…

'She couldn't be thinking of me like that…could she?'

Opening the Shoji to their room, Ichigo is so engrossed with his thoughts that he doesn't see her until he lifts his head to speak to her. He stops dead when he sees her sitting on their futon with her legs crossed and hands on her knees, and most importantly, without a stitch of clothing to be found on her flawless skin. Questions and images begin to rapidly form and then get discarded at the speed of light at what the situation could possibly mean for him, for them as he stares with complete shock into her playful golden eyes.

Patting a place in front of her, his guardian speaks without a hint of the playfulness that dances in her eyes. "Sit, Ichigo. I meant what I said in the bath; you are going to learn how to deal with your issues, and how to deal with a woman's nude body outside of a bath setting. It's going to be okay, so come and sit here while we talk."

Moving robotically, Ichigo tries to keep his eyes on her face, the earlier discomfort coming back in full force as he sees visions from his dreams playing out in his mind. Pausing as he stands in front of her, Ichigo tries to loosen the tightness in his pants without her knowledge, but he knows he's failed when she rolls her eyes and points at his groin.

"Just fix it already Ichigo; we don't have all night to deal with your embarrassment." She doesn't even grin or chuckle as she says it, much to his relief.

Sitting down quickly after he's made himself comfortable, Ichigo mentally berates himself when his eyes again begin to drift south of her neck. Outside of the bath, she has never gone through the day or night without being covered as far as he knows, although there is the possibility she could have walked around in the nude when he was at school, a thought that only hardens the tent in his pants.

For the first time in his life, Ichigo looks at the woman across from his not as his guardian, or his mother-like figure, but for what she really is to any warm-blooded male: a stunning woman of incredible beauty. Her loose purple hair, let down from her usual ponytail, hangs mostly behind her back with a few silky strands running over her perky breasts and caressing her areola and protruding nipples.

'Oh, what the hell!? I am staring! I'm staring!' Ichigo tries to turns away before he does any more harm to his relationship with Yoruichi, but his eyes seem almost transfixed by the sight of her perfect breasts, the twin mounds rising and falling in rhythm with her breathing.

A gentle hand cupping his cheek stops him from getting a mental breakdown, and his eyes flicker instantly to meet her warm ones. "Ichigo, I want you to look as much as you want. I won't be mad, and to be honest, I do hate wearing clothes for long periods of time, which is another reason we need to do this. I want you to get used to seeing me nude when we are home alone. Until tonight I have kept my modesty around you because you hadn't shown any interest in me that way, and I didn't want to shock you when your mindset changes as you mature. But now things are changing with you, and you are at a loss as to what to do aren't you?"

"Yes." He replies quietly, trying to keep his eyes from drifting any lower than her face.

Shaking her head knowingly, she gives him a gentle smile. "I said its fine to look Ichigo; I also know you have questions, so ask away."

Swallowing, he takes a deep breath and asks his first question, still unwilling to let his eyes drift. "I-I want to know if I make you uncomfortable when I stare at you. I-I don't want to annoy you, to make you send me away from you, Yoruichi; that's…that's why this is hard for me, because I honestly can't stop myself from looking at you." Shame floods his body, but he forces himself to meet her gaze unwaveringly without any hint of the fear he is feeling.

Yoruichi feels her cheeks warm slightly at Ichigo's heartfelt confession. She cannot imagine the amount of courage it had taken her ward to tell her the truth, especially with the stakes being what he imagined it to be. Touched though she is, there is still one part about his confession that she wishes to address immediately, and she lays one hand on his knee, watching as his entire body stiffens in reaction. Fixing him with the sternest glare she can muster and letting him see the anger and sadness in her eyes, she speaks up before he can even say anything.

"Don't ever think that way again Ichigo. Never in a million years would I send you away for something any male would do to me if he was in your position; besides, unlike those uncouth noble pricks, I know you won't try anything underhanded on me." She smiles at his wide-eyed expression. "I trust you with everything Ichigo, even this. So don't ever let me catch you THINKING again of me forcing you to leave, and I won't hear any talk of you feeling ashamed about how your body reacts to me. It is a natural response as I have told you Ichigo; all men after a certain age will start to experience these types of thoughts."

She pauses, realizing what she is about to say and clamps down hard on the surprising burst of desire that wells up within her. "Just...don't go acting on them, unless the other person is willing to engage in such activities with you." Yoruichi averts her gaze, not wanting Ichigo to see the smoldering look in her eyes, and hoping he doesn't notice the signs of arousal on her body.

Fortunately for her, Ichigo has other more pressing thoughts on his mind. "So…does this mean you're going to be walking around nude more often?" He blushes at the thought of seeing Yoruichi naked outside of their shared baths.

"Not so much in the beginning, but once you are comfortable, we'll see." Yoruichi says honestly, wondering how long it will take to get him that far.

Ichigo swallows nervously again before asking his next question. "You…don't expect me to, you know…" At her raised eyebrow, he blurts out. "Go naked as well?"

Yoruichi looks startled for a moment, before a wide smirk breaks out on her face and she leans forward dangerously, distracting him with her swaying breasts. "And if I did? Would you?"

She stifles her laughter at seeing him considering her question seriously. In all honesty, she has no intention of forcing him to do so, although she does think it would be an interesting thing to pull off. "I…don't think I can Yoruichi."

He closes his eyes for a few seconds before opening them to look at her seriously. "I don't think I would feel comfortable walking around nude. I'm sorry."

The golden-eyed woman pats his cheek fondly, smiling at the fact that he had put in so much thought into considering it. "Well that's too bad Ichigo; I didn't really expect you to say yes, but no matter." She sits back again, watching as his eyes dip below her face then snap back up quickly.

"Don't worry; I won't go prancing naked around you every time you come home for the time being. However, over the coming months I will remain nude longer and longer, until there comes a point where the only time I'm dressed is when we're going out."

Nodding once more, the orange-haired teen acknowledges his guardian's words, shifting uncomfortably while hoping that over the coming months he will not end up doing anything to betray her trust in him. The amused and exasperated look in Yoruichi's eyes tells him that she knows exactly what he is thinking, and he coughs and looks away awkwardly. "So…what now?"

Yoruichi sighs inwardly. It would seem that unlike most hormonal teenagers who have to be taught restraint; her young ward would actually need to be taught how to loosen up around sex. Surprising, yet somehow expected from Ichigo. "Now, we go to sleep Ichigo; that's all for tonight. I have to admit though, I hate sleeping in any type of clothing…"

"…So you're going to bed nude?" To Ichigo's surprise, he finds himself torn between wanting her to say yes and to say no.

The golden-eyed woman simply smirks at him, sliding into the futon as her answer. "Come to bed Ichigo." Swallowing hard, he does as she says and slides into the futon with her. As he pulls the blankets up over them, Yoruichi surprises him by snuggling up as close to him as she can get, her arms and legs wrapping around his body tightly and letting him feel every inch of her soft curves.

"Just because I sleep nude doesn't mean I don't appreciate the body heat you give off." She murmurs, extinguishing the Kidō light and leaving the room engulfed in darkness. Closing her eyes, the golden-eyed woman relaxes her entire body against his.

For a long moment, the only sound is that of their breathing. Their heads resting side by side on the pillow, the purple-haired woman says not a word until she feels Ichigo's arms wrapping around her waist like he has done with her every night since he was eight, and her embrace tightens around him in response.

"Night Yoruichi." She feels him kiss her forehead.

"Night Ichigo." She snuggles into him in return.

XXXX

Urahara Kisuke lazily fans his face as he watches three of his very few repeat customers walk up and down the aisles of his shop. Hearing the girls talking about boys, candy and homework brings a smile to his face thinking how lucky they are to be leading such normal lives, despite the wild and steadily growing Reiatsu of the dark-orange-haired Tamiko. Pulling his hat down so he can observe her unseen, he studies the orangette's growing Spiritual Power. It's somewhat less than what he was expecting, but if she can learn to harness both her Shinigami and Quincy powers in time, then Aizen might not succeed in whatever plans he is concocting.

In all honesty, he hadn't been sure of whom it was that night to have Hollowfied, but his gut instinct had told him that it was the girl, Tamiko who did so. Ichigo had been too close to Masaki at the time, too reliant on his mother to be the true protector of his family, whereas Tamiko's behavior even at that age was closer to how a Shinigami might act.

Thinking of Ichigo makes him think of his oldest friend. Kisuke wonders where those two had run off to; in the years following her escape with Ichigo, Yoruichi had sent him only one message: 'We're fine'. That was it. Since then, there has been nothing but silence from her. If he is correct, though, she must be wondering why Ichigo hasn't shown any signs of his heritage; if everything goes according to plan, he prays that Ichigo never does.

"Oi, Geta-Boshi, how much!?" Tamiko interrupts his thoughts as she holds up the latest copy of the Weekly Shonen Jump.

Snapping his fan close, he smiles at the middle-schooler. "For you my dear, half off."

A growl from his side alerts him to her zealous protector.

"You keep staring at her like that, Hentai-san, and I think I'll have to inform our Ryōshin of your dubious and questionable looks." Tatsuki says as she slaps her merchandise on the counter.

Kisuke gives her a wounded look. "You wound me Arisawa-chan. Does your Okaa-san know of your treatment towards me?"

The middle school karate champ smirks at him. "Yeah, she does, and she also said that if you ever touch us, I'm allowed to beat you to a pulp. Now ring us up."

She pounds her fist into her other palm for emphasis.

Chuckling, the exiled Shinigami rings up the purchases of the three girls, giving them his usual twenty percent discount for loyalty and fifty percent discount for the Shonen Jump. Orihime grabs Tatsuki's arm and begins lecturing her on her rudeness and why she should treat the shouten owner better because of how nicely they are treated when they shop there. Giggling as Tatsuki dramatically declares that Orihime is being deceived and how she will not allow her best friend to fall to corruption, Tamiko is about to follow behind her adoptive-sister and her friend when she hesitates. Kisuke raises an eyebrow in question as he watches the girl undergo some kind of internal struggle, before she turns back to him. All idle fantasies that she has somehow fallen for his manly charms and leaving him with no choice but to regretfully decline her confession due to her age is shattered by her next few words, however.

"Geta-Boshi, are you sure I don't have any living Shinseki? I keep having these weird dreams about Ichi-nii. Please, please tell me I'm just missing him."

Kisuke is stumped at how to answer her question. In fact, he wonders why she would even choose to ask about this now. Finally, he sighs out. "As far as I know Tamiko-chan, you are the only one who survived that night. I'm truly sorry."

"...I understand." The orangette nods slowly, but the former Captain has a nagging suspicion that she's far from being convinced. Putting on a smile, Tamiko turns to follow after her friends, waving back at him as she leaves.

"Thanks Geta-Boshi, see you in a few days! We got to get ready for our first festival of the year."

Waving to the three as they disappear into the distance, Kisuke looks over at Tessai who stands in the doorway of the shouten. "What else was I supposed to do? I honestly don't know where he is, even if I know who he is with..."

The larger man adjusts his spectacles, choosing not to answer that.

"Well, I have a phone call for you. It's 'her'." He says as he disappears back into the shouten.

Quickly twisting the sign to show the shop is closed, Kisuke hurries towards his office. Picking up the phone, he greets his best friend who he hasn't seen for years. "Hello Kitten-sama."

"Can it, Kisuke." He rolls his eyes at her return greeting.

Apparently, separation does not in fact make her heart grow any fonder. "I need you to find me a house, something secluded with no neighbors nearby. And I need it close to Karakura High School. You'll have a month to get it ready for me, got it?"

Curious, he asks why.

He hears her huff out over the phone. "Because I'm moving back there with Ichigo and Mia, duh? Why else would I ask you for that?"

Now this was interesting news. "I take it his Reiatsu is becoming a problem?"

Kisuke sits on the edge of his seat, hoping that his plan succeeded.

"His Reiatsu?" Yoruichi sounds confused, and her next few words send a chill down his spine. "It's the exact opposite actually; he's ready to undergo the Shattered Shaft when we arrive."

Kisuke stares blankly at the phone as he waits for his heart to start beating again, his mind racing to think of every conceivable reason why the Reiatsu meant to be used up in destroying the Hōgyoku is currently still active and even thriving in Ichigo's soul. Blinking as his mind finishes rebooting, he cheerily answers back with no hint of his breakdown in his voice.

"Well, if you think he's ready, I'll make all the necessary arrangements. Is there anything else I can do for you Yori?" As if the previous bombshell wasn't bad enough, he pales even more with the next one dropped on him.

"Yeah, find two Asauchi for him; he has an unusual pair of Zanpakutō spirits. He told me one represents his Quincy powers, the other his Shinigami powers."

At this point, Kisuke is all but frothing at the mouth as his plans collapse around him. Fortunately for him, his mind manages to reboot itself again in record time. "Of course, I'll do what I can. I'll see you when you arrive and I'll have everything you asked for ready for you and Ichigo, bye now…."

He hears her saying something but he doesn't listen as he hangs up the phone, then sits there in shock. Several minutes of silent panicking later, he finally recovers enough to call for his co-conspirator.

"TESSAI!"

The large man appears before him with concern on his face. "Boss?"

Kisuke gets up and starts to pace. "We failed. We failed in ways I can't even begin to imagine. Not only is 'it' not destroyed, but somehow Ichigo has a Daishō set of Zanpakutō. The only thing they have wrong is their guess that one of them is his Shinigami Zanpakutō. Tamiko didn't Hollowfy, he must have, which means…"

"…Which means his Hollow powers merged with his Shinigami Zanpakutō Boss. This will change everything." Tessai pinches his nose thinking of the Kidō he will have to invent to restrain the oldest Shiba child.

"What I want to know is what happened to 'it'?" Kisuke opens his fan and slowly fans his face, his worry reflected clearly in his eyes as his mind scrambles to salvage what is left of his plans.

XXXX

One month later…

Ichigo watches the landscape slowly change through the tinted windows of the limousine that he, Yoruichi and Mia are now riding in. True to her word, Yoruichi had made arrangements for them to leave their mountain home in Fukui Prefecture; he can't put into words how much he is going to miss his home of the last eight years when it was only the three of them, but this move is necessary if he is ever going to become a Shinigami. Seeing the roadside sign for Karakura, he leans closer to the window as his old town slowly comes into view. At first, the buildings and people look the same as in the town they had left, but as they drive deeper into the rapidly growing town; he starts to feel something in the air.

Casting a glance at his purple-haired guardian, he wonders out loud what he is feeling.

The Shihōin princess obliges him with a brief history lesson. "Karakura is the current Jūreichi, Ichigo; it has a much higher concentration of ambient Reishi in the air from all the humans who have above average Spiritual Pressure living in it, which also creates more of such humans as time goes by. Unfortunately, it is also a hotbed for Hollow activity, which is why there should normally be a competent Shinigami stationed here, but…"

"…But what Yoruichi?" Ichigo notices her frown.

Exhaling loudly, the Shihōin Princess fixes Ichigo with an unreadable look. "According to Kisuke, the last few Shinigami stationed here have been very lax in their duties. Several Hollows have wreaked havoc among the population of Plus Souls here, and even attacked a few humans with higher levels of Reiryoku, all without the Shinigami doing much to stop it."

Mia cracks open one eye as the normally well-controlled young man lets his own Reiryoku slip, the Mod Soul having learned over the years how to discern his many emotions through his Reiatsu whenever Ichigo accidentally lets his emotions get the better of his iron-clad self-control. She has no need to interpret his emotion today however; she, along with Yoruichi, have long since learned how much Ichigo hates the weak and defenseless being picked on, especially by those who believe that might makes right. Hence, Yoruichi having to make many trips to the principal's office; officially to get Ichigo out of detention or worse, but unofficially for the two females to tally up their scoreboard of how many self-entitled bullies have met their match in their favorite orange-haired teenager.

Yoruichi reaches out to grab Ichigo's hand with one of hers. "Ichigo, until I say you are ready, we will leave it to the Shinigami to take care of the Hollows…but I promise that once I'm done with you, I'll let you do whatever you want."

She doesn't react to the slight darkening of his sclera when he asks. "Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

Nodding his head in acceptance, Ichigo turns back to look out the window once more. "Then I had better exceed your expectations once more, Yoruichi."

XXXX

Kisuke once again watches the three young women shop for their weekend get-together. From the boisterous sounds of their conversation, their festival had gone off without a hitch despite the number of Hollows that had shown up. Needless to say, he, Tessai, and the kids had been very busy keeping the humans blissfully ignorant to that fact. Of course, it didn't help that the most recent Shinigami-in-charge had been eaten rather quickly during the first wave of Hollows, but Tessai had purified the culprit before it could retreat back to Hueco Mundo. Nonetheless, the loss of the Shinigami means that Karakura will once again be under the protection of a very precocious young glasses-wearing Quincy. Smirking, he wonders how long it will take Soul Society this time to figure out that their Shinigami is no longer actively protecting the Jūreichi, or even active at all.

Sighing silently, he turns to look out of the window towards the secluded part of town that the older and more traditional families live in. He had felt his best friend's Reiatsu briefly as well as what he can only assume was the young Shiba male's Reiatsu. Judging from what he had felt, the young man had gotten very angry for some reason before his Reiatsu disappeared just as quickly as it had flared up. Kisuke has to admit that if he could feel the young man's Reiatsu from here; he wonders just how strong the young Shiba will be once he has his Chain of Fate cut the day after tomorrow. With another sigh, he glance around his shop again and sees the three friends now standing around the manga racks, the two adoptive sisters trying to decide which one they wanted more. With a grin, he decides to stir them up a bit.

"Special today Tamiko-chan, Tatsuki-chan, buy one get one free! Only for my loyal customers though." He can't help his chuckle when the two girls high five each other and grab a manga each before making their way to the counter.

"We'll take these Geta-Boshi!" Tamiko's excited voice says as she and her adoptive sister place their magazines on the counter, Orihime placing two of her favorites alongside theirs with a handful of sweets.

As he separates the sweets from the manga he inquiries about how their festival went, and what their class's theme was for this year.

"Oh, we went with the usual anime cosplay again." Tatsuki says boredly, rolling her eyes at the fanatical obsession her classmates have with manga and anime.

Orihime taps her chin as she speaks. "It wasn't that bad Tatsuki-chan…I had thought that the boys wanted something different this year, but they never mentioned anything...it was rather strange of them..."

A brief spike of Tamiko's Reiatsu catches the shop keeper's attention rather quickly. "Problem, Tamiko-chan?"

The dark-orange-haired girl glowers at nothing in particular.

"Nothing a fist sandwich couldn't solve Urahara-san." She remarks, a fierce look on her face without her knowledge.

The sole pacifist in their group indirectly fills in the shouten owner as to what the adopted Arisawa is referring to.

"Tamiko-chan, I don't think beating up Honda-kun and Yamauchi-kun was necessary for whatever prank they were planning." Orihime says sternly, her face trying and failing to hold the stern look she is trying to pull off.

"Oh but it was Hime-chan, you don't know what those two hentai were up to. They were talking about getting us to make those stupid maid costumes and switching out the real thread for some kind of 'joke thread'!" The fiery-haired preteen grumbles menacingly.

Kisuke has to stifle his chuckle at the ingenuity of the young men, hiding his smirk behind a hastily opened fan as he knows that if he says anything to that effect or even shows a hint of approval, it would immediately make him a target of the two violent members of the trio. Regaining control over his facial expression, he asks innocently what they are talking about.

The adopted Arisawa daughter twists her face in a scowl. "Those asses were planning on 'accidentally' getting the girls wet so our costumes would fall apart from the specially dissolving stitching."

The scowl on her face transforms into a victorious smirk after that. "Perverts won't be trying to sneak a peek at my underwear anytime soon or any other girl for that matter for the few months that it takes their faces to heal."

Whistling lowly and hoping that the girls never find out where that 'special' thread came from, Kisuke rings up the girls with their usual discount and waves goodbye to them as they leave. Still chuckling to himself at the ingenuity of human kids these days, he freezes when a presence he hasn't felt in years makes itself known at his shop's door. Pausing in place, he waits there for a few long minutes before the person loitering outside finally makes his way into the shop. Kisuke quirks an eyebrow at the white-haired man, then he tips his hat in a polite bow.

"May I help you…Ishida-san?" The former Squad Twelve Captain asks his rare customer.

Standing stiffly, the Quincy frowns in thought before answering. "Uryū has begun his 'patrols' again."

Well, Kisuke had expected something like that. Snapping open his fan, the blonde shopkeeper replies in kind. "The Shinigami in charge met an unfortunate end during the weekend of the festival Ishida-san, it may be a while before someone new is sent. But no worries, we'll help him out until a more 'permanent' solution makes himself known."

Shaking his head, the father of Ishida Uryū ruefully remarks back. "The past few placeholders have been lacking severely Urahara-san; perhaps this person you speak of could hurry things up and get on with it. I…Uryū's all I have left."

Kisuke bows his head slightly. "He isn't your only living relation Ryūken…"

Ishida Ryūken, older cousin of Kurosaki Masaki and first cousin once removed of the Kurosaki-Shiba siblings turns away from the exiled Shinigami."…I can't bring myself to tell her what she is and why, you know that. Masaki's long gone, and I have no interest in teaching her Musume-san the Quincy Arts."

His hand reaches for the door handle. "...Besides, we both know what Tamiko-chan really is."

Kisuke doesn't move, but his eyes narrow slightly.

"Tamiko will no longer be as alone as you think. I know you felt the brief surge of Reiatsu not too long ago. Perhaps it felt familiar to you?" The shouten owner asks of the Quincy.

Ryūken hesitates, then he shakes his head in answer. "I felt something, but to be honest I was watching over the girls until they left. Whatever disturbance you speak of has nothing to do with me."

Kisuke smirks, knowing that he now has the perfect bait for the reticent Quincy. "So the Musuko-san of Masaki and Isshin has nothing to do with you?"

He hides the grin on his face as the elder Ishida's head snaps back at him.

"He…he's alive!? Where has he been!? Why didn't you tell me!? And why haven't you told Tamiko-chan!?" Ryūken pales slightly, both in anger and surprise.

"For reasons I can't tell you yet, we decided to separate the two to keep them safe. I do believe you remember how Isshin came here do you not? As to where Ichigo-kun has been, he's been living and training with Yoruichi all this time, and it seems he feels he is ready." The shouten owner answers the Quincy candidly.

Ryūken narrows his eyes at the exiled Shinigami. "Ready for what?"

Kisuke returns his look with equal seriousness. "To become a Shinigami like his Otou-san. I believe he'll also need your assistance in the future Ishida-san."

"...And why would a Shinigami need my help?" The white-haired Ishida asks, although he already suspects he knows why.

"Because Ichigo has been actively using his Quincy heritage to some degree. Yoruichi informed me last week that he is capable of using incomplete or bastardized versions of several Quincy techniques. Also, unlike Tamiko, he has been actively training his Reiatsu over the years. If you intend to keep to your isolation, no one will fault you, but…" He grins inwardly, seeing Ryūken's eyes narrow even further in thought.

"…But what, Urahara? You have always had a hidden agenda, so why should I help him or…Tamiko, when I do not even help Uryū?"

Kisuke fixes him with a deadly piercing gaze. "Because, in the next few years I believe Aizen will begin to make his moves against Soul Society. What they might be, I can only guess, but I can guarantee that the Living World will not be spared from his depredations. So let me ask you once again, Ishida Ryūken, the last true Quincy: will you help, or will you stand aside once more?"

XXXX

Ichigo lies on his back, panting hard as he stares at the ceiling, arms sprawled out to either side of his body. Groaning, he finally concedes his defeat. "Fine! I'll get your damn stuff Yoruichi! Didn't need a spar to figure that out dammit!"

He blinks as he suddenly finds himself staring at a pair of golden cat-like orbs from less than a foot away as Yoruichi crouches over his prone form. "Why thank you Ichigo, I knew you would see it my wayyyyy! Now get your ass up and get me my damn stuff."

Moving off his body, she leans down and reaches out with her hands, crisscrossing them so she can lift him easily. "You know Ichigo, this will be nothing more than a sweet dream compared to what I can and will do to you after you become a Shinigami. Enjoy this while it lasts."

Once he is back on his feet, Ichigo rolls his eyes and bends down to kiss her on the cheek. "Tell Mia I'll get her stuff as well after I'm done with my jog."

"No problem. And Ichigo…"

"…Yeah?"

He watches as Yoruichi's body tenses slightly before she speaks again. "Never mind, just be careful."

Nodding once, he makes his way to the front door and puts on his running shoes. Stopping, Ichigo decides to grab a hooded sweatshirt on a whim before he leaves his new home. Enjoying the slight chill in the newly arriving Spring air, the orange-haired teen begins his jog, having preprogrammed a course on his phone, and he finds his run mostly quiet as he winds his way through the surrounding residential areas until he reaches the river that runs through the modest-sized city. Enjoying the feeling of the wetness in the air, he jogs for another forty minutes along the riverside before he stops. Pausing to stretch, he looks into the flowing river and memories begin to trickle into his mind.

His hands flex unconsciously as the images of his mother and father and his three sisters roam through his thoughts hazily, the sounds and smells of those days in his memories mere shadows of what they once were. Finding a spot, he sits down and gazes over at the river as it flows along the riverbed, the sparkling water dimming as it crosses under the tall bridge linking the two shores together. He isn't sure how long he is sitting there, but somewhere during that time another person has made her presence known. Twisting his head, his breath catches in his throat when he sees a familiar mop of burnt-orange hair, her light brown eyes gazing distantly as she too sits on the bank of the river.

Kurosaki, now Arisawa Tamiko. His long-lost younger sister.

His heart hammering in his chest at this unexpected meeting, Ichigo turns away and begins the exercises taught to him over the years to calm his breathing and steady his heartbeat. He knows his Reiryoku slipped briefly, but the young teen behind him doesn't seem to have noticed anything, and he is starting to feel surprised at her lack of reaction to it. Flexing his hands again when his exercises are done, he slowly pushes himself up and begins to walk back up the hill side. As he passes her, he makes sure to keep his face hidden by the hood of his sweater.

"I hope you're not leaving because of me." The young female's voice suddenly breaks the silence.

Pausing, Ichigo answers the younger teen girl without turning to face her. "Nah, I need to stop at a store and pick up a few things for my…Sensei. She's pretty picky about what time I get home."

"She sounds pretty tough." The burnt-orange haired girl remarks with slight interest.

Ichigo smiles to himself as he begins to walk away again. "Probably the toughest Sensei you'd ever meet…"

He hesitates, then takes the plunge. "Imouto…"

The young girl freezes in the act of turning away, then she snaps her head back to the mysterious boy who was speaking with her. Seeing nobody there, she whirls around several times, then gawks at the empty hill side.

"What the…? Ichi…nii?" From Tamiko's pale face, you would think that she had seen a ghost.

XXXX

Light reflects off a pair of glasses as Ishida Uryū follows the hooded person around the store. He had been walking by the river on his patrol when he spotted the two on the hill side after feeling a brief but unfamiliar spike of Reiatsu; recognizing the Arisawa-Kurosaki girl, he had summarily dismissed her from his mind due to her reputation around school. Already assuming that the taller male was just one of her delinquent friends, he was about to ignore them both until he saw something that should have been impossible, the man disappearing using Hirenkyaku. Combat instincts kicking in, he chased after the male using his own Hirenkyaku, sticking closely behind to the best of his abilities, but the taller person had placed more and more distance between them with each burst until he had suddenly stopped in an alleyway. Sucking in a few lungfuls of air as he finally caught up, Uryū had watched as the taller person entered a store and began browsing through the aisles, and the young Quincy had surreptitiously slid in after him.

So far Uryū has failed at getting a glimpse of the unknown male's face as he stalks behind him. Each time the hooded male stops, he is forced to stop as well, acting as if he is looking at something on the shelf. He glances sideways at the cart in the man's hands and has to hold back a laugh at what he sees: feminine napkins, chocolate of various sorts and a Blu-ray of a popular Korean drama. He wonders if the male is shopping for a wife or girlfriend from the way he mumbles every now and then about crazy and insane women, usually followed by adding a new item to his cart. After twenty minutes of browsing they both make their way to the front of the store, and to Uryū's dismay, only one checkout counter is left open at this time of night. Allowing a young mother with a few items to go before him, he hopes the taller male leaves normally on foot.

Both customers in front of him check out quickly, allowing the glasses-wearing pre-teen to quickly purchase his bottle of water then dash outside to look for his target, only to stop at the sight of an empty street. Frustration escapes from his lips for half a second before a hand tightens around his neck from behind, a menacing voice speaking from behind him.

"It isn't nice to follow someone without introductions…Quincy. Tell me your name, and we'll see how things go from there. And don't do something stupid like reach for that medallion around your wrist, the one that looks kinda like this one." Uryū's eyes nearly bulge out as a sleeved arm reaches around him, dangling a clearly authentic Quincy cross from the man's hand.

"W-who are you?" The pre-teen Quincy stammers, then he feels the grip on his neck tighten in warning. "Ishida! I'm Ishida Uryū!"

"Nice to meet you Ishida-kun, now tell me why you are following me?" The voice asks without answering his question.

"You…you're a Quincy like me. I wanted to know how that's possible when Ryūken and myself are the only ones still left alive." Uryū stiffens when the voice chuckles behind him, though this time there doesn't seem to be any malice in it.

"I'm not a Quincy Ishida-kun. I'd like to stand around and chat but my…Sensei gets real grouchy if I don't deliver her stuff in a timely manner. Perhaps we'll meet again someday soon, Last Quincy." The death-like grip on his neck vanishes and in the split-second it takes for him to whirl around and nock an arrow, the hooded figure is gone.

'Not…a…Quincy? Then how did he use…' He suddenly feels his phone vibrating; pulling it out and looking at the screen, he frowns at the fact that he is now late for curfew.

"Dammit." Picking up his dropped bag, Uryū heads home quickly, never noticing the person standing on top of the store and studying his Spirit Ribbon.

'So you're my Itoko, Ishida Uryū.'

XXXX

The dark-skinned woman lies on a raised futon and watching the latest season of her favorite drama, her purple hair moves slightly back and forth as the orange-haired male massages her naked back. Amused snorts from her masseuse occasionally break the dialogue coming from the television as the young male above her shows his audible disbelief at how insanely ridiculous and cliché some of the actors portray their characters. Growling at his latest interruption, the Shihōin Princess swings a hand back and pinches his rear, a yelp and more focused kneading of her tight muscles indicating that the male understands her message to be quiet.

When the credits start to roll before the start of the next episode, the male shifts towards her legs as he starts working her lower back. "Yoruichi…I think I made a mistake tonight."

"How so Ichigo?" The woman asks, then a low moan escapes her throat as he kneads at a particularly tight mass of knotted muscle that had been bothering her.

"I ran into my Itoko tonight and…introduced myself somewhat." He says hesitantly as he continues massaging the lower back of his guardian.

"Really? How did it go?" Surprisingly, Yoruichi doesn't explode on him, and his expression grows more sheepish.

"I sorta...grabbed him from behind, then I showed him Okaa-san's medallion."

The former Onmitsukidō Commander turns her head back to stare at him, disappointment clearly showing in her golden irises. "You were supposed to wait, Ichigo; now Uryū will hunt you down to find his answers. Are you prepared to face him and tell him the truth about your relation to him and Ryūken, or will you continue hiding behind your anonymity?"

He pauses, then lowers the towel even further, revealing the smooth curves of her derriere. "As soon as you and your friend tell me it's okay to train with Ryūken Oji-san, I'll tell him the truth. Until then, I guess I'll be playing a game of hide and seek with him at night when I can finally start hunting Hollows."

Yoruichi places her head back on her crossed arms and closes her eyes when he starts on her hips and thighs, making her final remark. "Remember Ichigo, if he gets lucky and hits you with enough arrows, you won't be reborn. So with that said, I guess your first task will be to master Shunpo before we let you fight Hollows, that way at least you'll be able to escape without him even being able to follow you."

Ichigo keeps his mouth shut, knowing he's dodged a close one.

XXXX

Kisuke looks over the male teen in front of him; to say he wasn't impressed would be an outright lie. Eight years of training with one of the best assassins of their generation had certainly done the once-skinny kid a world of wonders.

Standing before the shouten owner is a true warrior by human standards, his toned physique clearly outlined by the tight clothing he wears, his careful observation of his surroundings screaming Onmitsukidō training, and finally the way he stands relaxed yet ready to explode into action at a moment's notice the hallmark of any well-trained Shihōin clan member. The most surprising fact is that even at three feet away from him, Kisuke can barely feel his Reiatsu; casting a quick glance at the smirking were-cat in human skin, he bows his head to her in frank admiration.

"Really Yoruichi? You had to teach him that?" He gestures helplessly at the orange-haired teen.

"How? How did you get him to suppress his Reiatsu while still in his human body?" This act, more than anything else, has the former Captain perplexed beyond words.

"Oh, I have my ways. Right Ichigo?" She chuckles at the scowl that forms on her ward's face.

Face-palming at his Sensei's prodding, the orange-haired teen briefly tells the blonde-haired man with them a very censored, short yet informative version of his Reiatsu suppression training. Kisuke hides his own grin by snapping open his paper fan and waving it in front of his face.

"Now, that is a training tool I will have to remember to use in the future." The shouten owner says with some merriment in his eyes, pointedly ignoring Ichigo's scowl.

"Yeah, just don't use it when its one of the coldest winters on record…it does things to a guy." The orange-haired teen shudders, his face reddening slightly as he recalls his wintery memories, then reddening further at the memory of the one time Yoruichi had demonstrated the technique for him during said winter.

Yoruichi's eyes twinkle fondly as she too remembers those days, her student had asked for it after all. Turning to the other man who had just entered the room, the Shihōin greets him with a smile.

"Tessai."

"Yoruichi-sama." The black-haired former Kidō commander replies with a polite nod.

Behind him, two young children walk in on the group from the back rooms. Both Yoruichi and Ichigo are surprised by their presence, Yoruichi pointing at the roughly nine-year-old black-haired girl and red-haired boy while looking to Kisuke for an explanation.

The blonde opens his fan with a snap. "Ah, you two made it back in time. Yoruichi, I'd like to introduce to you Hanakari Jinta and Tsumugiya Ururu, my new assistants. Kids, this is Shihōin Yoruichi and…" He points to Ichigo.

"…Shiba Ichigo." The orange haired teen answers for himself. "Yoruichi told me everything, including who my Ryōshin were and how all of you wound up here."

He looks at each of the assembled people, then he fixes his gaze on the former Squad Twelve Commander. "I'll cut to the chase Geta-Boshi, I want in."

Yoruichi's golden eyes snap to her ward. "Ichigo? What are you doing?"

Holding up his hand up to stop her building rant, Ichigo gulps when the cheery façade drops from the face of Kisuke, replaced by the hardened and serious visage of a Captain of the Gotei Thirteen. "Then you know what we are up against Shiba-kun. This won't be some childish school yard brawl; if you are serious about becoming a Shinigami, then you had better be ready to put your life…and your soul on the line. Aizen Sōsuke is perhaps one of the most dangerous beings after the Reiō you'll ever face in battle...if you plan on joining us, that is."

Shaking off the slight paralysis of his shock, Ichigo smirks at the blonde. "Then it's a good thing we have you Urahara-san. From what Yoruichi's told me about you, we might actually stand a chance at beating him. However, before I sign up I have a few conditions."

Giving his still-confused purple-haired guardian a sad smile, he speaks to Kisuke. "First, give me your word that Tamiko stays out of this. She's still too young, and I want her to live a normal human life Urahara-san. Actually, I met her the other night sitting on the bank of the river. I don't know if she was doing the same thing I was, just sitting there and remembering. But I could see it in her eyes, the longing to belong to something more. I want to give that to her, but only afterward. To let her know her Aniki is still alive so we can become Kazoku again; her, me and Yoruichi if she's willing. So promise me you won't drag her into this pissing contest between us and Aizen."

Seeing the shock on their faces, he takes a deep breath then hurriedly pushes on with his other request. "Second…I want you to temporarily erase Tamiko's memory of me. I don't want her grieving over me again if something were to happen and I don't make it. She…she's already lived through the death of our Kazoku, she doesn't need to know who I am if she does happen to see me."

He deliberately ignores the look of shock on Yoruichi's face, grimly extending his hand towards Kisuke. "Do we have a deal Urahara-san?"

Looking at the outstretched hand, Kisuke nods his head and grabs the orange-haired teen's hand in a firm handshake. "We do kid. Anything else? I can see it in your eyes that you want something else."

Still deliberately ignoring Yoruichi's stare, Ichigo nods his head. "Maybe at a later date I'll ask you for something, but right now that's it."

The messy blonde-haired man then turns to walk further back into the shop. " Time's a wasting then, Shiba-kun. You want to become a Shinigami; this is the first step to becoming one."

As the shouten owner, Tessai and the two kids disappear, Yoruichi grabs Ichigo's arm as he tries to follow them, swinging him around with anger in her eyes. "What was that Ichigo!? You said you wanted to become a Shinigami and protect Tamiko! What the hell were you thinking just now, asking Kisuke to erase her memories of you!?"

Feeling him cup her cheeks, Yoruichi quiets down, but her golden-eyed orbs remain fixed almost pleadingly on his sorrowful brown ones. "Kaa-chan was human, Yoruichi; I want to make it possible for Tamiko to live her life out as one. Let me carry the burden of our heritage alone. I'm also sorry I lied to you the other night, about not telling you I ran into her before Uryū. She was just sitting there with her arms folded around her knees, and when I was leaving, she was actually worried she was the cause of that. I could feel in her Reiatsu just how sad she was, how alone she was despite the fact she is living with a warm and kind Kazoku like the Arisawa's. I know that if she hears about any of this, she will immediately latch on to it, throw her life away recklessly in search of some greater purpose, so..."

He shakes his head. "Like I told Geta-Boshi, I want her to live a normal, mundane human life; at least one of us should have that privilege Yoruichi."

He pauses to stroke the skin under his thumb, feeling his guardian nestle her cheek against his palm. "There's also a selfish reason I'm agreeing to do this. If all of this works, I think you and the others deserve to go home Yoruichi; to resume your lives that Aizen took from you. You still have Kazoku that might want to see you again, and they shouldn't have to worry about someone trying to arrest you or worse. I can do this, I know I can because you've been training me, and I expect you to train me even harder once I do become a Shinigami."

Lifting her own hand, Yoruichi cups his cheek in return. "Ichigo…you always find ways to amaze me. I can see it in your eyes; nothing I say will change your mind."

With a sigh, she pulls him down to kiss his forehead, then looks at him firmly in the eye. "Fine, but just to let you know, I'll be much, much harder on you than I ever have before. I will make sure you live through this. Mark my words Ichigo; you'll only die when I say you can. Understand?"

Letting his hands fall, Ichigo grabs one of Yoruichi's as he turns to follow the residents of the shouten to the back rooms, a small smile on his face. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

He is about to head into the shop with her when she holds him back; when he turns to look at her, she pulls him down and brushes her lips along his. For the brief moment of their lips touching, his brain shuts down, then he hears her speak again. "I mean it when I say you are mine Ichigo."

This time, she is the one who pulls him behind her as she makes her way deeper into the shouten, and he simply follows along with her, his senses numb. As they pass by several rooms, Ichigo's mind finally begins to work again, and he can't help but ask the first question that pops into his mind.

"Why does this place seem so much bigger on the inside than the outside?"

Yoruichi shoots him a small smirk, before she answers mysteriously. "Kidō Ichigo. You'll learn that soon enough as well. Come on, down we go!"

When she suddenly pulls him through a trapdoor set in the floor, Ichigo screams in girly fashion as he finds himself falling hundreds of meters while clinging as tightly as he can to Yoruichi's waist. When their descent abruptly slows as they reach the bottom, he glares at the purple-haired Goddess of Flash who is laughing hysterically at him as they touch down softly.

"You could've fucking told me." He grumbles, an embarrassed blush on his face at his very unmanly shriek.

She pinches both of his cheeks as she coos at him. "Aww...But where would the fun be in that Ichi-kun?"

From behind them, a voice speaks up. "You two done, or do you need a moment more to yourselves Yoruichi, Shiba-kun?" Kisuke teasingly asks the two.

"Up yours! / Fuck off!" Stereo replies answer him as the two realize to their annoyance that they have an audience.

Hiding his amusement, the former Captain of Squad Twelve asks the next obvious question. "Yare, yare Yoruichi, did you teach him to have such a filthy mouth, or is that from the environment you raised him in?"

"It only comes out when I'm near hentai-centered lunatics…sorta like you Geta-Boshi!" Ichigo retorts instantly, no stranger to throwing verbal taunts at his opponents.

Kisuke chuckles, liking the kid already. "By the way Shiba-kun, why do you call me Geta-Boshi? Come to think of it, even the girls call me the same thing..."

Ichigo, Yoruichi, Tessai and even the smaller children Ururu and Jinta stare at the man with deadpan looks; they had never realized that Kisuke was unaware of the reason for his nickname. Finally, the orange-haired teen gestures with his hand at the blonde-haired genius.

"Well look at you Geta-Boshi. You're wearing a stupid ass green and white-striped hat, wearing clothing centuries out of date even for Japan, and wooden Geta. Really? Wooden Geta?" The human pinches his nose as he finishes with his last statement. "And that damn paper fan. You know that it makes you looks so…"

Kisuke Flashsteps to the male and snaps his fan across Ichigo's nose. "Let us not go there Shiba-kun, not all of us get to bask in the naked glory known as Yoruichi."

Hearing it from someone that knows Yoruichi causes Ichigo to pause in his response. Casting a look back at her, he blinks several times, then he answers smugly. "Well, I guess I am truly blessed that she does it only for me, and not for some random hentai like you any longer."

This time Tessai and kids can't hold back their laughter as a pale-faced Kisuke drops his fan with a clatter, both Yoruichi and Ichigo staring at the shouten owner who is crying himself a river of tears and mumbling 'randomly' to himself. Yoruichi does nudge Ichigo slightly though, and when he turns to her she gives him a wink, causing him to share one of his rare smiles with her. Letting Kisuke stew in his drama for a few minutes, the shape-shifting Shinigami finally punches him lightly in the back of his head.

"Alright ass-hat, enough acting, lets get on with it. Tell me what's going to happen?"

Erasing all traces of his act immediately, Kisuke gets very serious as he turns to face the human boy. "I'll ask you one last time, are you ready to end your life as a human Shiba Ichigo?"

The teen answers without hesitation. "I'm ready."

The blonde former Captain nods at him. "Tessai."

Yoruichi steps away as the corn-hair braided man slams a gloved hand into Ichigo's back, pushing Ichigo's soul out of his body. As the orange-haired teen rolls to a halt on the dusty ground, he's about to shout at the other man but freezes when he sees his body, a chain leading from it back to his chest. Touching the chain with wide eyes, he can actually feel the sensation of the touch rippling through his soul. As he turns to look at Yoruichi with an unreadable expression, he sees an emotion he hasn't seen in her eyes since the night she had told him about his origins: sadness. Steeling himself again, he turns back to look at the Kidō master, and his eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets when he sees the large man standing over his chain with a raised axe gripped in his hands.

"Last chance Ichigo." He hears Kisuke call out. Yoruichi averts her eyes, not wanting Ichigo to see how much it pains her to watch what he is about to face.

Gulping once, the Shiba male looks up at the taller Shinigami. "Do it Tessai-san."

With a grim nod, the axe drops and Ichigo feels a scream rip its way out of his throat at the sudden loss of connection to his body. His hands claw blindly at his chest as he hears Tessai chanting behind him, and Kisuke immediately begins giving him instructions at the same time.

"Tessai is going to encase you in a high-level Bakudō Ichigo. All you need to do is rather simple really; you just have to escape the shaft without the use of your hands."

Ichigo looks at the bucket-hatted man with a mixture of confusion and pain. "What shaft?"

Snapping his fan open again, Kisuke smirks behind it. "The one directly under you."

"Huh?" The young man has no time to say anything else as the ground suddenly opens up beneath him and he plummets downward, screaming again in the same girly way from earlier.

Kisuke laughs until he is hit by a vicious slap to back of his head, turning to see Yoruichi step out from behind him. "Asshole. Did you really have to do it that way?" The golden-eyed female grouses.

'Wow isn't she touchy!' The blonde smartly keeps his thoughts to himself.

Instead, he gives her an innocent look. "Just having a little fun Kitten. He'll be fine regardless; I felt his Reiatsu just now, and there is no chance of him getting hurt when he…"

"Fuck me! That hurt you fucking prick! Next time give a little warning before you do some stupid shit like that again you maniac!" Ichigo's shout paralyzes the smile on his face, and the shouten owner hurriedly takes a few steps away from the now clearly angry woman.

Keeping an eye on the silently raging purple-haired goddess, the former Onmitsukidō operative looks down the shaft to see Ichigo securely wrapped up in a straitjacket-like top. Testing the air, he pulls out a strange vial and drops it into the shaft. He hears it break and the young man yelling at him again about not warning him before he does something, but Kisuke ignores him, waiting for several minutes before he feels enough time has elapsed.

"Shiba-kun! Can you hear me Shiba-kun!?" He calls down the shaft.

An answering shout is heard from the bottom. "Yeah you moron! What now!?"

"What now is simple, you just have to find your Shinigami powers within the next three days. You see the chain attached to your chest!?" Seeing the young teen glance to the severed chain then nod once, Kisuke continues. "Well that was your Chain of Fate; it was what kept your soul attached to your human body. Now that it is severed, you have a very limited amount of time to find your Shinigami powers. If you don't…"

"If I don't, you'll kill me when I become a Hollow!" The voice of the orange-haired teenager cuts him off. "Yeah, yeah, I got that already from Yoruichi; she said I could become one if I fail this! She didn't tell me how you were going to go about it though jackass! So what do I do to find my Shinigami power, just sit here and wait!?" The struggle is evident in the young male's voice as the first link of his chain starts to be eaten.

"I don't know Ichigo!" Kisuke calls back to him, sounding rather unapologetic. "Honestly I don't know how you will gain your power, but you have three days regardless to do so. That vial I dropped, it speeds up the Encroachment process from months or years to mere hours. But I'm feeling generous so I'll give you a hint; only from within you will you find the answer. Your three days start now!"

Kisuke backs away from the edge, only the look in his eyes showing how concerned he truly is when he glances over at his best friend.

"He'll do it Yoruichi; I get the feeling he'll gain them sooner than I had anticipated she would..." He freezes, not missing the deadly glint that appears in Yoruichi's eyes at his slip-up. "…sorry never mind."

The blonde tries to turn away, but is immediately stopped cold by the crushing grip of a vengeful purple-haired goddess.

"What do you mean…she? Kisuke...WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?" Yoruichi's voice takes on the tone she had when she was his Captain and wasn't in the mood for any of his usual BS.

Knowing that she will inevitably find out sooner or later anyway, Kisuke takes off his bucket hat off and looks her evenly in the eyes. "Kurosaki Ichigo wasn't the one I had planned on using against Aizen."

The meaning of his words instantly click in her mind. Taking a shaky step backwards, the Shihōin princess speaks lowly to him. "You…you can't be serious Kisuke? Why would you think she could have done this?"

Swallowing hard at what he is about to reveal, Kisuke's steely grey eyes meet Yoruichi's golden cat-like orbs unflinchingly as he responds. "Because, Yoruichi, I put the Hōgyoku in Ichigo the night of the fire. I had hoped his dormant Shinigami powers would do what I couldn't do myself, thinking his soul would destroy the Hōgyoku while leaving him nothing but a normal Plus. But something has gone wrong with that, and I haven't figured out what yet. I do have the feeling though that Ichigo is beyond what I could possibly have predicted; he speaks to his Zanpakutō and his Quincy powers as separate entities, he can already use several of 'their' techniques without any formal training, and his Reiatsu is clearly even denser than most Taichou of the Gotei Thirteen, except for those four. Shiba Ichigo isn't a 'normal' Shinigami hybrid like Hirako and the other Vizards, and I suspect he will probably surpass them all in short order once we begin his training."

The purple-haired woman had opened her mouth to shout at him after his first sentence, but her mouth slowly closes as he presses on without letting her speak. Her expression pales even further as she lets the news sink in. That damnable orb, the same orb that was the root cause for all of their trouble from over a century ago, that same orb was now in her…She blinks her eyes when the word she thinks flashes through her mind, unable to articulate it even in her thoughts, not just yet. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she moves forward and looks down the shaft, ignoring the fact that Jinta is hanging over the edge while letting a luger dangle from his mouth as Ichigo yells at him to stop. Not paying any attention to Tessai as he jumps down to check that the bonds holding Ichigo are secure. All she can think of, all she can focus on is her Ichigo. A source of unimaginable power now resides in his soul, but her single greatest worry now is what it has done to him over the past eight years.

The golden-eyed woman finally speaks up. "Why Kisuke, why Ichigo?" She wants to know.

Sighing tiredly, Kisuke sits on a boulder beside his friend and offers her the plain truth. "Because on that night, I had assumed it was Tamiko who used her Hollow powers to save the two of them from the fire. I believed then that she was the stronger of the two surviving Dōhōshu, she had a toughness then that Ichigo had failed to show. In my eyes, he was…"

"…Masaki's little boy." He is rudely interrupted by Yoruichi who is now glaring at him. "You thought he was weaker because he didn't act like a normal kid his age, didn't you? Well guess what Kisuke? You fucked up! You fucked up royally because when he thought he was all alone in the world, he changed."

At this point, Yoruichi is uncertain where her anger is coming from, whether it is from her anger at Kisuke's manipulations, or from Kisuke making his decision because he considered Ichigo to be weaker than his younger sister. All she knows is that, as his guardian, as his caretaker, as the one who is closest to Ichigo and has proudly watched him grow into the fine young man he is today, she is NOT going to take any of Kisuke's BS lying down.

"Ichigo threw himself into my training when I offered it to him after telling him the truth about the fire; I tortured him with training that even adult Shinigami would shy away from, when he was only eight and nine! He pushed his human body beyond what any Kodomo his age should have suffered, and he came out all the stronger for it! He. Became. A. Man!" Spitting out her last words, she turns her back on Kisuke and moves back to the Shaft, gazing down at Ichigo as he sits at the bottom apparently meditating.

After a long moment, Kisuke moves to join her. When he looks down, he sees the young man is now sitting in Seiza, but before he can comment on it, his childhood friend continues, in a far softer tone. "Ichigo is special to me Kisuke. He…he's replaced 'her' as that special person to me, and if he dies, I'll…"

Grey eyes snap in shock to the woman next to him. "Y-Yoruichi? You can't be serious? He…he's only fifteen going on sixteen; he's also still human! This is madness, even for nobility!"

The werecat turns to regard him with the most bitter expression he has ever seen on her face, weary golden orbs fixing on his disbelieving grey ones. "Is it, Kisuke? It's not the first time this has happened has it? Do I have to remind you of Ichigo's Ryōshin, of him and her?"

Seeing Kisuke's stunned expression, she turns back to Ichigo, a small sigh passing from her lips as she solemnly observes the boy who has somehow become the center of her life. "...Just like them, it didn't take me long to realize what he means to me; even if he is just human, somewhere along the lines, the boundaries began to blur for me. By the time I realized it and could admit it to myself, it was too late for me to stop it. And now, he's voluntarily taking on a task we have no right in allowing him to undertake, but he still is choosing to do so, not just for us, but also for his Imouto. To keep Tamiko-chan safe, to let her live a normal, dull human life unaware of the Afterlife, and he is willing to die down there in that shaft to achieve it. So tell me Kisuke, why shouldn't I?"

There is a long silence from Kisuke. What can he really say to that? "Does he know?" He finally asks his childhood friend quietly, voicing the only question that comes to mind.

Shaking her head once, Yoruichi replies just as quietly. "Right now isn't the best time to tell him anything, other than what I will be teaching him Kisuke. Besides, you're right; he is still too young to even be thinking things like that, but if he shows any signs, then…"

She cuts off abruptly, both of their eyes widening as they feel the air down at the bottom of the shaft changing rapidly.

XXXX

'Fucking jackass…What a piss off…Yoruichi could've at least given me something of a hint…'

" **Would you cease your whining Ichigo? It won't change the fact that you are stuck down here, your arms are secured behind your back and you have yet to calm your ASS DOWN!** " Zangetsu shouts from inside their shared world.

Yhwach's grave voice speaks up next.

" _ **I agree with Zangetsu Ichigo, you need to remember Yoruichi-sama's teachings. Now calm down, sit still and relax your heart and mind. Once you have done that, come and see us. There are a few things we must speak of before you move forward.**_ " The Quincy half of his Zanpakutō instructs his young wielder.

'Alright…alright. Just give me a few and I'll be there.' Ichigo twists to his stomach and inches his knees to his chin before rocking back and forth a few times before jerking his body upwards so he is sitting on his knees, a random but useful skill he has mastered during his Onmitsukidō training.

Slowing his breathing until he is only inhaling once a minute, Ichigo finds his mind's perception of time slowing to a crawl relatively quickly. As the transition from the World of the Living to his still blank inner-world takes place, he almost loses his concentration when he feels Yoruichi's Reiatsu spike alarmingly high, but she suppresses it just as fast as she had let it slip loose. With the brief distraction gone, Ichigo swiftly finds himself standing before the parts of his soul he now knows represent each aspect of his parent's bloodlines.

Nodding first to his white doppelganger and then to the stately gentleman with him, the orange-haired teen wearing Onmitsukidō garb looks around at his blank world.

"You'd think I'd be able to change this by now." He wonders out loud so his spirits can hear him.

" _ **Of course you can Ichigo. The first question is what do you want your world to represent? The hurt and loss of your childhood?**_ " Yhwach waves his hand and the white world becomes a rain-drenched replica of Karakura on that horrible night, the scent of burning timber momentarily invading his senses.

Zangetsu waves his hand next. " **Or the uncertainty of your future?** "

The world changes to become a flooded landscape of dull grey buildings built entirely of steel and glass. Frowning at both choices, he closes his eyes as he winds his way through the memories of eight years of peaceful but productive growth of his soul under the caring guidance of his mentor. He has known only two constants that have been there for him throughout his early impressionable years: Yoruichi and Mia. The mod-soul is the loving Aunt he has never had, while Yoruichi had gone from Mother, to friend, to being the center of his life. He doesn't want that life to ever end, and if the only way to truly capture and preserve that part of his life is to recreate in his soul, then that is the reflection that best describes him at this moment.

Opening his eyes, he finds himself back in the comfortable setting of the forest that surrounds his home back in Fukui Prefecture. Behind him, Zangetsu and Yhwach stand with him, the three of them finding themselves on the familiar path that leads up from the base of the mountain to the elegant home Ichigo shared with his golden-eyed mentor and their housemother. As Zangetsu and Yhwach automatically fall into step behind him, Ichigo follows the familiar trail all the way up, smiling as he turns the sharp twist in path and spots the topmost peak of his old home jutting over the treetops. One more turn, and he finds himself walking towards the familiar well, with the two buckets he has carried inside each day for the last eight years resting beside it. He passes by, running his hands over the wooden beams that lead to the Genkan, and Ichigo rolls his eyes when he realizes the notches in the pillar denoting his growing height over the years is also reflected in his inner-world.

" **Queen did love gushing over how much you grew each year.** " Zangetsu quietly mentions, the two Zanpakutō spirits being uncharacteristically quiet and respectful of the silence. It's almost as if all of them recognize that this is a sacred place, a sanctuary that they protect without even needing to be told.

Letting his fingers glide over the last mark, Ichigo slides the Shoji door open, automatically sitting down and pulling his shoes off then putting on his pair of slippers that are waiting on the shoe rack by the side. Two hands reach for him, and he allows his two spirits to pull him back onto his feet.

" _ **The dojo will suffice Ichigo.**_ " Yhwach informs him, although the older spirit makes no move to lead the way.

Keeping his curiosity to himself, Ichigo simply nods, and then winds down the main hallway towards the dojo before sliding open the Shoji to the large room. Even though there is no one inside, he still bows out of habit before making his way to the center, where he stops and turns back to face Zangetsu and Yhwach. Both spirits turn to each other, and Ichigo watches their eyes have a brief conversation before Zangetsu steps forward.

" **What am I, Ichigo?** " His white twin asks curtly.

The teen arches one orange eyebrow. "You're my Zanpakutō spirit; you represent my Shinigami powers and my Hollow powers."

" **Is that all?** " Zangetsu tilts his head sideways.

"There's more?"

Zangetsu doesn't respond, and Yhwach steps forward. " _ **And I am your?**_ "

"My Quincy powers. What's gotten into you two? We've been over this already; I accepted the fact that I'm different from everyone else years ago. You guys are beginning to worry me." Ichigo looks between the two with confusion and a growing sense of trepidation.

Zangetsu nods at his answer, but continues. " **We are those things King, but what else are we? What do we represent to you? Think Ichigo, what am I?** " The Zanpakutō asks as he takes another step forward.

For years, the being in front of him had fought him with little regard to his health and wellbeing. Each spar ending with both wielder and Zanpakutō spirit shredded to bloody ribbons, but when the fight was over the feral look in those black and golden eyes would fade to take on a look of pride that only a father would give to their son, a look that always secretly amused Ichigo to see on a face of his exact same age. Each lesson was hard earned, each skill he attained from his white carbon copy always learned with both pain and suffering as prerequisites, but the lesson would always stick in his mind when it was over. Instinct, that is what Zangetsu always screamed at him during those spars: don't think, just do. Don't hesitate, never look back, and don't worry about what could be. Make what he wanted to happen, happen. Make the battle his, make his opponent realize that there could only be one outcome, their defeat. Each time that Zangetsu's Khyber knife sliced or removed a piece of his flesh, he ignored it so he could claim his own pound of flesh from his sparring partner.

Ichigo knows Zangetsu is partially a Hollow; of that there could be no doubt, especially after Yoruichi had described them when she told him the truth that night.

Yes, he had been scared the first night after learning the truth, but the white spirit didn't hold it against him. **'I'll beat that fright out of you Ichigo, even if it's the last thing I ever do as your Zanpakutō. You are my wielder; if you are scared of me, then how do you expect to keep your promise, to protect your Queen?** '

That was the first and last time he was scared of his own Zanpakutō. Of course he woke up the next morning feeling as if a truck had run him over then put his remains through a wood chipper, but Zangetsu was right; he was no longer afraid of the instinctual side of his soul.

Yhwach on the other hand is the more stoic and level-headed one out of the three of them. Clinical and analytical of his young wielder's progress, the Quincy spirit's teachings tended to combine repetitive tasks with impossible deadlines. Unlike Zangetsu who would only spar and teach him at night as he slept, Yhwach would teach him nearly every day at all hours of the day, until Ichigo was able to perform the tasks he had set at an acceptable level. The Quincy Cross that he now wears around his wrist is the only thing he has left of his family, his mother's legacy, and Yhwach had started teaching him to use it from the very day he had received it from Yoruichi. The ability to gather residual Reishi from his surroundings was the first and hardest lesson that the older-looking spirit would ever teach him, with a close second being learning how to combine that Reishi with his soul's Reiryoku. That had been an accidental discovery, one that had peaked the interest of the usually stoic Quincy spirit, but it had certainly proved useful in his duels with Zangetsu on many occasions. It had also been Yhwach who had spoken to him after his first all-night brawl with Zangetsu, teaching him the saying that would define him for the rest of his life.

' _ **Abandon your fear Ichigo. Look forward, never stop moving. Pull back and you will age; hesitate, and you will die.**_ '

Now, he stood with his two Zanpakutō spirits, the two manifestations of his soul, both of them staring at him as they wait for his answer, and he finally understands what they are asking of him.

Pointing at his white twin, Ichigo speaks up confidently. "You are my instincts, my drive and will to fight and defeat all my opponents no matter what they may be."

As Zangetsu smirks, he turns to the patiently waiting older spirit. "You are my resolve to keep moving forward, never doubting or hesitating in my decisions to protect..." He says as he points at the Quincy, gaining a nod in return.

" _ **Then, do you trust us Ichigo?**_ " The elderly statesman asks with conviction.

Ichigo looks quizzically at his Quincy spirit. "Yeah, of course I do. Why would you ask?"

Ignoring his question, Zangetsu follows up for his partner. " **Will you put your life in our hands willingly, King?** "

His hesitation in answering brings a sudden and violent outcry from the two spirits. " **Answer us King! /** _ **Do not hesitate with your response Ichigo!**_ "

"Yes dammit! I trust you both and you damn well know it!" The exasperated teen replies heatedly, annoyed by their persistent questioning.

Despite that, he knows that what he said is true: he trusts them completely and would put his life in their hands if needed. After all, they are his Zanpakutō spirits, they will fight alongside him, so how can he not?

" _ **Then prove it to us, Shiba Ichigo.**_ " A chill goes down Ichigo's spine at Yhwach's unexpected statement, which is further reinforced by the sight of the trench knife appearing in the Quincy spirit's hand. Glancing to Zangetsu, he sees the Khyber knife materializing in the hands of his Shinigami/Hollow spirit.

"Uhh... guys? Prove what…" Backing away slightly, his eyes go wide as both Zanpakutō spirits suddenly disappear from his sight, only to reappear right in front of him with their blades stabbing forward. The grim look he sees on Yhwach's face being mirrored by the manic grin being displayed on Zangetsu's, as the hybrid Zanpakutō opens his mouth to yell.

" **PROVE YOUR BELIEF IN US, KING!** "

Both blades lunge at him as if in slow motion, his mind easily tracing their path and destination. Left unchecked, the blades will skewer him straight through the chest; not a mortal wound here in his inner world, but one that will certainly hurt like a bitch. With his current level of skill, it is not impossible for him to dodge or block the attack, and he knows that both his Zanpakutō spirits also know this; so the question remains: Why?

Why would they attack him here and now, after the conversation they were having?

Time seems to slow down even further as Ichigo thinks back to their earlier conversation. He had correctly identified what each of his Zanpakutō spirits represented to him. They had then asked if he trusted in them, believed in them, was willing to put his life in their hands, and he had said yes.

And now, they are pretty much trying to take his life...

His mind suddenly races as he connects the dots together. His Zanpakutō spirits want him to prove that he is willing to put his life in their hands and trust them, and right now they are forcing him to choose between avoiding their attack or believing in them. He still has no idea what the hell this is all about, but it's clear now that there's only one thing left for him to do.

Without the slightest bit of resistance, both knives bury themselves up to the hilt in his chest.

There is a long moment of silence, before Ichigo finally looks down at his chest. "Huh, that's strange, why doesn't it hurt?" He asks, prodding hesitantly at the tsuka of Zangetsu's Khyber knife, the only part of the oversized blade that protrudes from his chest.

Zangetsu gives a snort as he pinches the bridge of his nose with his free hand. **"You're really a dumbass Ichigo. You ain't hurt because we can't hurt you, seeing as we are…you.** "

Seeing the clear bafflement of their wielder, Yhwach shakes his head. _**"I have heard Yoruichi-sama say this occasionally, that you show signs of great intelligence at times, only to balance it out moments later by acts of supreme unintelligence. This instance is a good example of that."**_

Ignoring Ichigo's scowl, he presses on. _ **"It matters not, however. You trusted us and showed us the proof that we needed to see when you chose to believe in us and made no effort to stop us from stabbing you. You have done well.**_ "

Ichigo rubs his head embarrassedly, unused to being commended so directly by the older spirit. "Soooo….now what? I'm guessing there is something else we need to do?" The teen asks, looking from one spirit to the other.

" **Indeed there is Ichigo. Just one more thing.** " Both Zangetsu and Yhwach tighten their grip on the their blades, then the monochrome copy of Ichigo breaks out in his characteristic grin. " **THIS!** "

Raw, unbridled power slams into Ichigo through the blades still piercing his chest, the orange-haired teen able to feel the power of his Quincy side merging flawlessly with the power coming from his Shinigami and Hollow side as they mix and flood his body with their incredible energy. Over the roar of power in his ears, he hears his spirits calling to him.

" **Let's get this show on the road, King!** "

" _ **Call out our name, Ichigo!**_ "

XXXX

Kisuke and Yoruichi are both thrown off their feet when a pillar of overwhelmingly dense Reiatsu erupts from the shaft, shooting higher and higher until it crashes into the roof of the artificial dimension, nearly punching a hole through the high ceiling. The Reiatsu floods out across the faux sky, spreading across the roof with nowhere to escape to until what looks to be a small storm rages directly overhead.

Turning away from the admittedly incredible sight, the purple-haired woman grabs the collar of her best friend and pulls him closer, pointing at the shaft that the billowing energy is escaping from.

"So help me Kisuke, if even one hair is damaged on Ichigo's head, YOUR LIFE IS FORFEIT!" The Shihōin princess screams before tossing him aside and slowly crawls towards the shaft, determined to be as close to Ichigo as possible if he needs her help.

Kisuke lies in an awkward heap on the floor, his bucket hat having been blown away by the explosion and his coat whipping about fiercely in the wind. "Sheesh, you'd think she'd show me a bit of gratitude for letting her…" His thoughts are interrupted when a voice suddenly rings out, and the vortex is cleaved into two.

XXXX

Ichigo stands at the bottom of the shaft, heedless of the storm of Reiatsu whipping around him. In his hands he holds the two Asauchi that Tessai had left in the shaft with him when the large man had came down to check on his bindings earlier, bindings that had immediately been shattered by the torrent of energy that is flooding through his body. At the urging of his two spirits, he had picked up the Asauchi, and holding them, he can feel his Reiatsu feeding into both blades and molding them, allowing them to take on two very familiar shapes. Grinning, he brings both of the blank Zanpakutō up and points them away from his body, feeling as if he can feel both spirits standing beside him and lending him their might. As the Asauchi start to glow, he hears his spirits whispering in his mind, and for the first time since he started training he lets his tightly controlled Reiryoku have free reign as he shouts out their name.

"SLAYING MOON!"

A massive crescent of energy carves its way up the sides of the shaft, splitting the raging vortex in two as it rises through the air and completely obliterates the overhead storm as it slams into the ceiling with a dull boom, far above Ichigo.

The orange-haired teen himself stands in the middle of the ruined shaft, his soul singing in joy as his powers rage freely around his body, the exhilaration he feels after unshackling his energy causing him to momentarily forget himself, and with a crouch, he propels himself straight up into the air with a whoop of joy. Disregarding the shouts from the people surrounding the opening of the shaft as he rockets past them, Ichigo watches his Asauchi change from simple looking katana blades to the more familiar blades from his inner-world, and he smiles, perfectly content for once, as he prepares himself for his landing.

XXXX

There is another dull boom as the crazy kid slams into the ground, throwing up a huge cloud of dust around him.

Waving his fan and coughing, Kisuke squints at the growing cloud of dust that is slowly dispersing even as he watches. He spots Yoruichi already on her feet and making her way slowly into the cloud of dust, one arm thrown protectively over her face as the monstrous weight of Ichigo's Reiatsu slowly recedes back into his body. The mad scientist side of him can't help but grin wildly, even as the side of him that was a Captain is banging its head on the figurative wall. A teenager of all people managed to overcome the Shattered Shaft in less than THIRTY MINUTES, an absolute record that puts all of the previous attempts to shame.

Ignoring, of course, the fact that the only other record he has to compare it with is his own...

A grin finally breaking out on his face, the blonde former Captain slowly makes his way into the cloud, passing Tessai and the two children along the way. Multiple Kidō barriers surround the trio, a testament to the former Kidō Commander's swift action to protect them from the storm of Reiatsu. Spider web cracks on the first few barriers indicate however just how powerful the Reiatsu was, especially considering that it wasn't targeted at them to begin with.

Nodding to Tessai in a silent message to keep up the Kidō barriers for now, Kisuke moves to join Yoruichi, reaching her as the remains of the dust cloud are suddenly blown away by a burst of Reiatsu.

The person who is revealed from within the cloud is not the same person Kisuke had sent down less than an hour ago; this person is now slightly taller than before, carrying a slightly heavier muscle mass and looking far more mature than the sixteen year old boy who had walked into his shop earlier. No, this is a man trapped in a boy's growing body, both from his physical appearance and the spiritual power Kisuke had sensed from him for the few moments the orange-haired teen had allowed his Reiatsu to run rampant. Subtly glancing at his friend and former Captain, Kisuke sees her golden eyes making a very detailed inspection of her young protégé, the slight darkening of her skin around her cheeks highly indicative of her thoughts to the former Onmitsukidō operative.

'Ara, ara, what do we have here? Hime is blushing, now this is a first.' The blonde-haired genius inwardly snickers, taking stock of the devastation of his surroundings and the remarkably small impact crater the young man is standing in before he finally starts moving towards said young man, also noting the two unusually designed Zanpakutō being wielded by the young man.

Seeing that the danger has passed, Tessai finally allows his Bakudō barriers to dissolve, staggering slightly from the strain of holding them up for so long. Turning around, he gently picks up his two unconscious charges, both of whom had passed out much earlier just from the pressure of the unrestrained Reiatsu alone.

"Oh crap, Jinta and Ururu! Are they gonna be okay Tessai-san?" Ichigo frets as he catches sight of the two unconscious kids, realizing that he may have accidentally injured them with his antics.

Smiling slightly, the former Commander of the Kidō Corps nods his head. "They'll be fine Shiba-dono, they are much tougher than they look; trust me when I say they'll be their usual selves tomorrow morning. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to take them back to the shop and put them to bed."

Waving with a slight grimace, Ichigo and the two former Captains watch Tessai leave with Jinta and Ururu. When he is safely away from them, Kisuke turns to Yoruichi and speaks with little mirth in his voice.

"I think we should tell him Yoruichi, what I did to him." The man pulls his retrieved bucket hat down to hide his eyes from her.

Glancing at Ichigo, the cat-eyed woman sighs and waves at the blonde. "Suit yourself Kisuke, but if he decides to kill you, I ain't stepping in the way."

Kisuke's intelligent and snappy comeback is interrupted by a shout from the very same teen they are talking about. "Hey Geta-Boshi, what happened to your roof?" Ichigo shouts out to the blonde shop owner, staring up in bewilderment at the massive pattern of charred cracks that now mar the previously-pristine surface of the blue faux-sky.

Pinching his nose, the former Captain shakes his head in disbelief, catching sight of Yoruichi struggling not to laugh as she covers her face with one hand and fixing her with a baleful glare. Seeing that it only makes her crack up more, he huffs out before turning to the ignorant culprit.

"My dear boy, you blew out the roof with your 'little show' there. You have any idea how long it's gonna take to fix that hole and paint the sky again!?" The blonde shop owner demands, nearly shouting at the end.

Shrugging his shoulders, Ichigo points at the blonde-haired man with an answer. "Same time it took you to build this place to begin with, a day or two tops."

His jaw drops at the younger man's snide answer, then he remembers that he had claimed to have only spent a day or two constructing his training grounds. With his own words being thrown back in his face by an impossible teen who completely blew all his expectations out of the water, Kisuke bursts out into helpless laughter for the first time in decades. "You are going to be an interesting part of my life for the foreseeable future, Ichigo."

XXXX

AN: Well that is the first chapter of my next story, don't forget as always a translation guide is provided next and then after the Response to Reviews Corner in the proceeding chapters after this one. Those that are wondering what I am working on next, well that would be the next chapter for Naberius and then the next two chapters for the Return and the first chapter of my Fallout 3 crossover, I can't help it, I had to get it started once I pre-ordered Fallout 4. So without anything else to say, I'll see you all in a month or so with a new chapter for Naberius. Oh, one last question, you guys interested in seeing the first two chapters I wrote based on an old story I once read on YFF. The one about Masaki being the Hollow Queen and she marries Isshin, leaving Nel and Starrk to rule in her place until Ichigo is eligible to take the throne. Not exactly the same plot as that story I read back then and I wish I had saved it to make my life a little bit easier, because without knowing what caused Ichigo to get exiled, I can't continue the story. Again if anyone remembers that old story, let me know if you have a copy of it or any details you might recall, it will help a lot.

Once more I'd like to thank both regfurby for his stellar editing as well as his story ideas along with Kiwifan7 who I can't say enough when offering ideas and opinions for every chapter I write.

Thanks again,

Liam.

Translations List

Honorifics

-san (さん) : Used to address people with a generic level of respect (equivalent to Mr/Mrs/Ms)

-sama (様) : Used to address people with a higher level of respect (equivalent to Master/Madam)

-chan (ちゃん) : Used to address people with familiarity (usually females)

-kun (君) : Used to address people with familiarity (usually males)

-dono (どの): Used to address people with great respect (equivalent to Lord/Lady)

-ue (上) : Used to address one's parents with great respect

Addressing people by their family name without honorifics can be seen as disrespectful.

Addressing people by their given name without honorifics implies a high degree of familiarity.

People may not always use the same honorific when addressing the same person; it depends on the situation and what they are feeling at the moment.

Special

-tachi (たち) : Used as a suffix to refer to a group

Family Titles

Chichi (父) / Otō (お父) : Father, usually addressed as Chichi-ue or Otō-san/sama (also written as Otou)

Haha (母) / Okā (お母) : Mother, usually addressed as Haha-ue or Okā-san/sama (also written as Okaa)

Ani (兄) / Onī (お兄) : Older Brother, usually addressed as Aniki or Onī-san/sama (also written as Onii)

Ane (姉) / Onē (お姉) : Older Sister, usually addressed as Aneki or Onē-san/sama (also written as Onee)

Otōto (弟) : Younger Brother, usually addressed as Otōto-san/chan (also written as Otouto)

Imōto (妹) : Younger Sister, usually addressed as Imōto-chan (also written as Imouto)

Sofu (祖父) / Ojī (お爺) : Grandfather, usually addressed as Ojī-san/sama (also written as Ojii)

Sobo (祖母) / Obā (お婆) : Grandmother, usually addressed as Obā-san/sama (also written as Obaa)

Oji (叔父) : Uncle, usually addressed as Oji-san (not to be mistaken with Grandfather/Ojī-san)

Oba (叔母): Aunt, usually addressed as Oba-san (not to be mistaken with Grandmother/Obā-san)

Itoko (いとこ) : Cousin (can be written with different Kanji depending on age, gender and which side of the family they come from)

Oi (甥) : Nephew

Mei (姪) : Niece

Kyōfu (教父) : Godfather, usually addressed as Kyōfu-san/sama

Kyōbo (教母) : Godmother, usually addressed as Kyōbo-san/sama

Ōoji (大叔父) : Great-Uncle, usually addressed as Ōoji-san

Ōoba (大叔母) : Great-Aunt, usually addressed as Ōoba-san

Sōsofu (曽祖父) : Great-Grandfather, usually addressed as Sōsofu-sama

Sōsobo (曽祖母) : Great-Grandmother, usually addressed as Sōsobo-sama

Keifu (継父) : Stepfather

Keibo (継母) : Stepmother

Mamamusuko (継息子) : Stepson

Mamamusume (継娘) : Stepdaughter

Relations

Otto (夫) / Goshujin (ご主人) : Husband, usually addressed as Goshujin-san/sama

Tsuma (妻) / Oku (奥) : Wife, usually addressed as Oku-san

Musuko (息子) : Son, usually addressed as Musuko-san

Musume (娘) : Daughter, usually addressed as Musume-san

Magomusuko (孫息子) : Grandson

Magomusume (孫娘) : Granddaughter

Ryōshin (両親) : Parents (also written as Ryoushin)

Sofubo (祖父母) : Grandparents

Keifubo (継父母) : Step-parents

Fūfu (夫婦) : Married Couple

Kyōdai (兄弟) : Brothers (can also refer to Siblings in general)

Shimai (姉妹) : Sisters

Itoko (いとこ) : Cousins

Kodomo (子供) : Children

Mago (孫) : Grandchildren

Kazoku (家族) : Family

Shinseki (親戚) : Relatives

Dōhōshu (同胞種) : Siblings

Nakama (仲間) : Comrades

Tomodachi (友達) : Friends

Senpai (先輩) : Senior (also written as Sempai, can be used as a suffix '-senpai')

Kōhai (後輩) : Junior (also written as Kouhai, can be used as a suffix '-kouhai')

Sensei (先生) : Teacher, Doctor, Respected Person

Deshi (弟子) : Student, Apprentice

Informal

Tō-chan (父ちゃん) : Dad (also written as Tou-chan)

Kā-chan (父ちゃん) : Mom (also written as Kaa-chan)

Nī-chan (父ちゃん) : Big Bro (also written as Nii-chan)

Nē-chan (父ちゃん) : Big Sis (also written as Nee-chan)

Jī-chan (父ちゃん) : Gramps (also written as Jii-chan)

Bā-chan (父ちゃん) : Granny (also written as Baa-chan)

Disrespectful

Oyaji (親父) : Old Man

Jiji (爺) : Old Geezer

Baba (婆) : Old Crone

Bō (ぼう) / Bōzu (ぼうず) : Boy (also written as 'bou/bouzu', can be used as a suffix '-bou/bouzu')

Boya (ボヤ) : Boy (literal translation, used as a suffix '-boya')

Insulting

Teme (てめ) : Jerk, Bastard etc. (can be used as a suffix '-teme')

Dobe (どべ) : Dumbass, Moron etc. (lit. Dead Last)

Baka (バカ) : Stupid

Hentai (変態) : Pervert

Chibi (チビ) : Midget, Runt

Gaki (ガキ) : Brat (can be used as a suffix '-gaki')

Speech

Yare Yare (やれやれ) : My my (exasperation)

Ara Ara (あらあら) : My my (surprise)

Maa Maa (まあまあ) : There there (comforting / calming down)

Moshi Moshi (もしもし) : Hello (greeting over a phone)

Hai (はい) : Yes

Ano (あの) : Umm...

Are (あれ) : Huh?

Yosh (よし) : Alright! (excited)

Yosh yosh (よしよし) : Good good (approval)

Itadakimasu (いただきます) : Let's eat (appreciative)

Gochisousama deshita (御馳走様でした) : Thank you for the feast (appreciative)

Arigatō Gozaimasu (ありがとうございます) : Thank you very much

Dōitashimashite (どういたしまして) : You're welcome

Ohayō (お早う) : Good morning

Konnichiwa (今日は) : Hello/Good day

Konbanwa (こんばんは) : Good evening

Nicknames

Geta-Bōshi (ゲタ帽子) : Hat-and-Clogs (refers to Kisuke's choice of clothing)

Yagi-Ago (山羊顎) : Goat-chin (refers to Isshin's scruffy beard)

Ichigo (苺) : Strawberry (a play on Ichigo's given name)

Ichi (一) : Shortform for Ichigo (一護)

Tats (竜) : Shortform for Tatsuki (also written as Tatsu)

Suki (好き) : Shortform for Tatsuki (also means to Like)

Hime (姫) : Shortform for Orihime (also means Princess)

Yori (ヨリ) : Shortform for Yoruichi

Soul Society

Sōtaichō (総隊長) : Head Captain (also written as Soutaichou)

Taichō (隊長) : Captain (also written as Taichou)

Fuku-Taichō (副隊長) : Vice-Captain / Lieutenant (also written as Fukutaichou)

Kidō (鬼道) : Way of the Demon, the Shinigami Spiritual Arts (also written as Kidou)

Hadō (破道) : Way of Destruction, Spiritual Arts focusing on attack (also written as Hadou)

Bakudō (縛道) : Way of Binding, Spiritual Arts focusing on capture (also written as Bakudou)

Kaidō (回道) : Way of Returning, Spiritual Arts focusing on healing (also written as Kaidou)

Locations

Seireitei (瀞霊廷) : Court of Pure Souls, the Inner District of Soul Society

Rukongai (流魂街) : Wandering Soul City, the Outer Districts of Soul Society

Dangai (断界) : Precipice World, a Dimensional Corridor linking Soul Society to the Human World

Daireishokairō (大霊書回廊) : Great Spirit Book Gallery, the Repository containing all the Knowledge and History of Soul Society

Shinōreijutsuin (真央霊術院) : Spiritual Arts Academy

Urahara Shouten (蒲原商店) : Urahara's Shop, owned by Urahara Kisuke


	2. Training Days

**Disclaimer insert here: No I do not own Bleach much to my disappointment.**

 **All characters belong to their rightful owners, except any OC's that I include, which will only hopefully be one or two minor characters. An M rating is for future violence, dismemberment, gore, language, very foul language, and of course adult situations. Do not expect a ton of lemony scenes, I am here to write a good story hopefully, not audition for Penthouse Forums. Also, since I found that it is necessary to warn my new followers now, use of Japanese terms will be used a lot in all of my stories. Also, expect OC behavior for your favorites. Finally, this is an AU story, which means I am not a huge fan of following the manga; please remember that in your reviews.**

 **XXXX**

 **A guide is provided at the end for your translation needs if you are new to my stories. For those readers who know me, the Response to Reviews will be at the bottom after any AN notes starting next chapter.**

 **Warning: I use a lot of Japanese familial terms, if you complain I'll be honest now, I don't care and I will not respond to any PM or review no matter what. So, enjoy the second chapter lads and lasses.**

 **This chapter is co-authored by regfurby.**

XXXX

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

" **Hollow Zangetsu** "

" _ **Quincy Zangetsu**_ "

' _Memories_ '

 **XXXX**

' _ **You are going to be an interesting part of my life for the foreseeable future, Ichigo.'**_

 _ **Urahara Kisuke**_

 **XXXX**

Tessai keeps a close eye on the quickly healing bruises and cuts that had been inflicted upon the orange-haired teen's body during his latest spar against the owner of Urahara Shouten. Not even twitching an eye at said owner's loud yelps as Yoruichi applies mundane human methods of healing such as bandages and ointments to Kisuke's wounds instead of using Kaidō to heal them. He smirks internally; his partner had brought it upon himself for 'accepting' Yoruichi's offer of being his healer during these spars. Of course, it is Yoruichi's payback for what Kisuke had done to her current protégé in the past.

The still-unproven evidence of that would be the ridiculous speed with which Ichigo is absorbing and then actualizing the various Shinigami skills that the three former Captains had begun teaching him the day after he had undergone the Shattered Shaft. The former Kidō Commander can barely hide his smile as he looks down at the close-eyed smirking teen who ended the last bout with a combination of the simplest Bakudō which he used to distract Kisuke just enough for his follow-up attack of Hadō Sixty-three: Raikōhō to hit Urahara squarely in the chest; unfortunately for Ichigo, the blonde-haired former Captain had reflexively launched his own Hadō Seventy-Three: Sōren Sōkatsui at Ichigo to end the last bout in a draw. Neither of them had used the full incantation or else they'd probably both be needing more than just Kaidō to heal their wounds.

'Hachigen will be thrilled to have such a pupil when he begins to train with the Vizards.' Tessai thinks as he watches Ichigo's brown orbs slowly blink open.

"Geta-Boshi okay, Tessai-san?" The younger man finally asks when he sees the Kidō master hovering over him.

"He is still paying for his transgressions against you yet Shiba-dono."

A genuine grin forms on Tessai's face when the teen groans loudly at his usage of the honorific. "I give up Tessai-san, I'll never get you to call me Ichigo will I?"

"No Shiba-dono."

Twisting his head slightly towards the burly man, the teen Shinigami sighs but smirks as he remembers the conversation that took place shortly after he leapt out of the Shattered Shaft, the reason why Kisuke is now receiving Yoruichi's tender loving care…

XXXX Flashback Start XXXX

"Whadda mean I can't get back into my body!?"

Kisuke stepped backwards nervously and motioned towards Ichigo's body as he replied. "Well, seeing that your Reiatsu has nearly tripled Ichigo-kun, we can't risk you returning to your body until we put in place several safeguards, meaning seals that will keep your body from literally tearing itself apart..."

Yoruichi grabbed Ichigo's arm to keep him steady as he stared at his unmoving human body. "That…that much?"

"Yes Shiba-dono. We dare say that your Spiritual Pressure will continue to grow as you mature as a Shinigami, which is why we will have to keep a very close eye on how your body reacts to the growth of your Reiryoku." Tessai stated as he applied his fifth seal on the tanned skin of Ichigo's body.

"Damn." Ichigo whispered when he recounted one of his earliest lessons with Yoruichi on why Captains and higher seated officers weren't allowed to visit the World of the Living unless they had limiters placed on their bodies.

"Luckily for us, your training from such an early age will aid you greatly in keeping your Reiatsu levels undetectable, but you must always remain vigilant in suppressing your Reiryoku Shiba-dono, even the smallest of changes to a human soul could bring about unforeseeable and serious consequences to them." Tessai instructed as he applied the last seal.

"So, that's why you are insisting I learn Kidō first right?" Ichigo asked of the former Kidō Commander.

Nodding his braided-hair head, the glasses wearing exile motioned to him to enter his body. "Kidō will allow you to gain an even greater amount of control over your Reiryoku as you use it in the Demon Arts. Now, if you please Shiba-dono, you should be able to enter your body safely."

Looking down at his still body, which Kisuke had jokingly called a human meat-bag, Ichigo gingerly lifted his empty form as instructed by Tessai. Holding it so he would essentially be entering his own body from behind, Ichigo didn't panic when he felt the first pull on his soul and found himself back in his body. What happened next surprised him though, as incredible pain raced throughout his body. Clenching his hands into fists as he fought through the pain, he heard Yoruichi's voice demanding to know what's going on.

"His soul has grown Yori, so his body must now adjust to that growth. It will pass shortly I promise."

Ichigo could feel several tears rolling down his cheeks as his insides felt like they were being slowly torn apart to conform to his new soul form. "Fuck, it hurts Yoruichi."

He then felt something pulsating and soothing go through his body as a set of cool hands were placed on his cheeks. "I know you are hurting Ichigo, just bear with it for a little bit longer please… I can only use Kaidō to help dampen the pain, nothing more okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." Ichigo shivered as he swore he could hear his bones cracking under the strain, but as promised, the pain began to lessen and lessen until finally all he felt was a dull ache, the same dull ache he used to suffer after a few long hours of doing the various stretching and strengthening exercises Yoruichi liked to put him through. Gagging in relief, he slumped against Yoruichi, held up only by her assistance.

"Glad that's over with." He said through gritted teeth as he quickly suppressed his Reiatsu from leaking out. With some effort, he was able to contain it, but his body still felt rather uncomfortable and sore.

Kisuke however became the bearer of more bad news. "As you grow Ichigo-kun, you will have to repeat this process several times again in the future. Your potential frankly scares the hell out of me. You are already at a sixth or fifth seat Officer's strength. I believe we should concentrate on your Kidō first, the basic principles of Reiatsu control needed for the Demon Arts will go a long way in helping you with your control."

Ichigo nodded as he looked at them. "So, who is going to teach me first?"

Neither his mentor nor her oldest friend hesitate when they both point to the larger muscular man in the room, with Yoruichi speaking. "Tessai will teach you first Ichigo. He is after all the former Commander of the Kidō Corps, and you can tell how skilled he is by how easily his seals blocked your Reiatsu until you took control yourself."

"Cool. Yoruichi told me that Kidō has three uses: offense, defense and healing, can you teach me healing first Tessai-san?" The youth asked unexpectedly.

Tessai raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Unfortunately for you I cannot Shiba-dono, my skills lie in Hadō and Bakudō... however, in time I believe I can introduce you to someone who is far more skilled than I am in Kaidō."

"Tessai?" Kisuke's voice had taken on a noticeably more serious tone.

Turning towards his partner and friend of the last century plus more, Tessai sighed deeply before speaking. "I know what I felt down there will demand their involvement sooner rather than later Boss. We can't afford any mistakes after… after what we have done to Shiba-dono."

Ichigo froze. "What do you mean what was done to me Tessai-san? What did you guys do to me?" He swung his head between the blonde-haired man and the dark-haired man in confusion. "Guys, what did you do to me?"

Yoruichi picked up her saucer and sent a slight glare at the now very, very nervous and slightly sweating Urahara. "Oh, don't worry Ichigo… Kisuke only put a very dangerous orb of power in your soul, like he said, nothing much."

Several quiet moments passed before the expected explosion came from the youngest member at their table. "HE DID WHAT!? WHAT DID HE PUT IN ME!?"

Jumping across the table and trying to punch the cowering Kisuke in the face, Ichigo grabbed the other man's haori to keep him from scurrying away. "What's in me dammit!? What the hell is she talking about Geta-Boshi!?"

Casting a glare at the vindictive and rightly offended Yoruichi, the former Squad Twelve Captain looks back at the furious teen in his face and finally decides to explain.

"The night of the fire that claimed your Kazoku, only you and your Imouto survived; survived because somehow one of you used your Hollow powers to escape from the inferno. I know this because Yoruichi found part of a Hollow's mask near your bodies when she rescued you and Tamiko shortly after your escape from the house. I won't apologize for what I did to you Ichigo, but you do deserve to know what I did and why. I decided that night to put what is known as the Hōgyoku inside of your body, your soul because I didn't believe you were the one who was strong enough to summon that power… I honestly thought Tamiko was the stronger of you two and I used you in the hopes of sealing away that power forever."

"Why me? What made you pick me?" Ichigo's pained voice asked.

"Because you were too close to your Okaa-san, too… gentle in your ways. Tamiko though was more like your Tou-san, her behavior more like a Shinigami. I believed that she would become a Shinigami as you had yet to show any tendencies to become one. I honestly felt that you would never be anything but a normal human without any particular skill or ability."

Ichigo stared down at the man with a growing feeling of dread in his chest. The man was right, he loved being near his Mother as much as he could be... but what did that mean about everything he had accomplished so far? Releasing Kisuke, Ichigo abruptly stood up and walked out of the small room without a word or a shout. Yoruichi stood up next when she felt something in Ichigo's retreating Reiatsu that she hadn't felt in years: fear. Sending a glare at her friend, she hurried after the teen who was already outside the shouten.

Kisuke sighed, slumping in his seat and exchanging a look with the partner of his crime. "Well, that went well."

Tessai sipped his tea calmly. "It was your idea, boss."

XXXX

Ichigo began running the moment he stepped outside, not even stopping when he felt Yoruichi following him out. Running from those words, 'didn't believe you were strong enough' that had hurt him deeply. The nightmares he had for weeks after finding out his family was dead always ended with him outside his burning home, Tamiko wrapped in his arms until the blackness swallowed him up. Now, as he ran towards the river, the memories of that night burned bright in his mind, finally becoming clearer as to what had happened on that fateful night where he had lost his family.

It all began when he woke up suddenly to the voice in his head screaming at him to get up and get out of the house. Never questioning the reason why, he had done so; Ichigo remembered himself just running out of his bedroom, remembering the sudden heat of the flames cutting him off from the stairs and his parents' bedroom where his twin baby sisters slept with their Mother and Father. Only one other room was still unaffected by the flames and he could hear Tamiko coughing through the closed door. He was forced back down the hallway as part of the ceiling collapsed and the burning timber blocked him even from trying to get to his parents' bedroom.

Mind numb with shock, he had barged into his sister's room and found her trying to open the window to her room, heat and smoke already seeping up through the floorboards. He had seen through the window that the flames were rising high enough that it would be impossible for them to escape that way. Quickly crossing the room at the urging of the voice in his head, he had grabbed his sister's hand and dragged her away from the rising inferno and back into his room where he shut the door quickly.

'Ichi-nii!' Tamiko had screamed in fright as the sounds of timber falling outside his door was heard, and the heat and smoke that started to seep up through the floorboards of his room signaled that the end would soon be near.

'What do I do!?' He screamed to the voice in his head as thick smoke began billowing directly into his room from the crack beneath his door, Tamiko coughing again as she accidentally inhaled too much smoke.

He then felt a strangeness filling his body as the voice spoke out once again. " **Trust me Ichigo, I will protect you.** "

'Protect Tamiko too!' He begged the voice in his head.

The voice seemed to hesitate, then agreed. " **Tamiko too.** "

The rest of the memories played out effortlessly before his mind, almost as if he were looking through a foggy window at a scene playing outside the window; he saw the white material flow from his mouth and nose, his sister coughing and screaming weakly as she passed out. He saw his arms effortlessly lift his sister's body up before he walked over to the window. He saw a strange light blast a hole through the wall of his house before he stepped through. His memory ended with him easily jumping through the flames and landing in the only clearing that had miraculously escaped the fiery carnage that was even now swallowing up the neighborhood, violent explosions destroying his house and his family behind him as the mask that had covered his face crumbled away along with his consciousness.

" **The Queen came seconds afterwards and rescued you King.** " Zangetsu's voice suddenly spoke up. " **I was only able to get you and Tamiko-chan out of the house; Yoruichi is the one who actually saved you and Tamiko from the flames.** "

Still reeling from his newfound memories, the orange-haired young man nearly snapped at his Zanpakutō. 'Why didn't you tell me any of this, Zangetsu?' He angrily demanded.

Ichigo felt a slight hesitation before the Hollowfied spirit spoke. " **Because we are only remembering now, just like you. Shortly after you woke up, Juda and I… well we don't remember what happened to us, our memories have a very large gap in them starting from shortly after you escaped the fire until the point where we woke up once more when you reached Middle School. I am truly sorry.** "

Ichigo sagged to the ground, his righteous anger draining away as he realized that his Zanpakutō were in the same situation as he was. 'What about that thing in me…?'

" _ **That we have found no indication of, Ichigo. There is nothing here but your inner-world and us, nothing else has ever shown itself to us all these years. If it did we would know.**_ " Juda remarked as he joined the conversation. " _ **We will of course endeavor on finding it, but as we have said, we don't believe it is in you any longer.**_ "

'Do you know where it went then?' Ichigo felt relief flooding his body at hearing the news.

" **Don't know, don't care to be honest Ichigo. Do you?** " Zangetsu's usual blasé attitude gave the teen more comfort that he would admit to.

Coming to his senses, Ichigo found himself at a quiet spot along the banks of the river; dropping to his rear, the weight he had felt from earlier evaporated as he stared at the water flowing past him. When Yoruichi sat down beside him, he didn't even think as he leaned against the woman who had taken care of him all these years. Her hand grabbed his as they both stared towards the darkening horizon.

Half an hour later, Yoruichi finally spoke up. "I didn't know until you were already in the Shattered Shaft Ichigo, even then… it would have been too late to stop any of it."

Ichigo squeezed her hand slightly. "It's okay Yoruichi. You should know I remember everything that happened that night now." He felt her hand tightening in response in his grip.

Without being asked, he told Yoruichi everything that had transpired that night; that it was the first time he had heard Zangetsu speaking to him, that it was his Hollowfied Zanpakutō spirit that had woken him up in time to save his sister and himself. He almost choked in grief as he told her how it was impossible for him to reach his parents and the twins as the house was already collapsing from the intense heat and flames. He finally told her that Zangetsu knew it was her who had really saved them all when she showed up just in time to rescue them from the flames.

"As for that thing, the Hōgyoku, all they know is that it's no longer in me." He said as he finished recounting the events of that night.

Feeling Yoruichi shift against him, he looked into her surprised golden orbs as she asked the question that needed asking. "Then where is it Ichigo?"

He shook his head. "As Zangetsu said, don't know, don't care. But Geta-Boshi is going to get his ass kicked for what he did to me, that I promise you Yoruichi."

Seeing his mischievous grin, the Shihōin Princess couldn't help but share in his infectious mood as she kissed his cheek and promised to help him in his revenge.

A promise that was not to be broken.

XXXX Flashback End XXXX

"I hate you."

Those words from Kisuke causes the young male to laugh as he opens his eyes again, seeing the blonde-haired man looking forlornly at the fifth striped hat to be destroyed in their spars.

"Serves you right for giving me such an incentive to beat on you Geta-Boshi. Your own damn fault for making it a condition of our spars to knock that stupid-ass hat off your head. Not feeling so cocky, now are you?" Ichigo cracks a grin as he watches his newest mentor drop his head in defeat.

"Yare, yare, kids these days…" Kisuke's depressed tone is a sure sign that the older man is sorry for his earlier boasting. "No more hats for you Ichigo, I can't afford the prices I pay on Ebay for them."

"Shoo then you hentai, Ichigo and I are going to use the hot springs before we leave for home. He has a test in morning and I want him to study for an hour without any fatigue." Finished with the shopkeeper's bandages, Yoruichi says that as she picks up both of Ichigo's Zanpakutō, the only person other than Ichigo who can touch the fearsome blades without consequence.

The orange-haired teen snickers as he hears Kisuke muttering under his breath about a 'bossy nude neko'. Tessai helps Ichigo to his feet before turning away and walking in the same direction as his friend, his shoulders shaking as he quietly laughs at the unusual relationship Kisuke and Ichigo have developed.

Glancing at the woman next to him, Ichigo sees her eyeing him with a grin. "You wanna race don't ya?"

"Of course, Ichigo. You up to it?" She remarks as she sets her feet slightly apart.

"One." He starts.

"Two." She says.

"Threeeee!" Both shout as they disappear in a flash.

Yoruichi arrives first at the hot spring, half a breath ahead of Ichigo who appears next to her with a smile. He pauses when he sees Yoruichi giving him the once over again before she gently sets his blades against an outcropping of rocks. Having bathed with her almost every day, he doesn't turn away as she pulls her bright yellow-shirt over her head, revealing her mocha-skinned chest that has no need for undergarments to help support her firm breasts. Shaking his head as he begins to disrobe as well, he sees her shimmying her pants down her long-toned legs before finally removing the only other item she has grown used to wearing in his presence, her black thong underwear. Once they both pile their clothes together, she takes his hand and guides him into the healing waters of the hot spring. Knowing from previous arguments that she won't accept anything less, he sits down first with Yoruichi sitting behind him, her hands finding his neck and shoulder blades first. Neither is he ashamed when the first sounds of moaning contentment escape his lips.

Ichigo swears that falling asleep and drowning in the hot springs isn't a bad way to go, what with how great her hands feel as they take the stiffness and aches out of his body from the ministrations she uses on him.

"You start tomorrow night Ichigo." Yoruichi suddenly remarks, startling him to wakefulness.

Twisting to look over his shoulder in confusion, he asks what she means.

"Tomorrow night, you will begin patrolling Karakura Town; I'll be with you to give pointers and help if you run into something you can't fight on your own. I hope you are prepared for what you might witness Ichigo, and remember what I told you about always attacking the Mask first and preferably from behind."

Nodding his head, he does remember what Yoruichi had taught him about Hollows: that they are corrupted human souls that didn't pass over to Soul Society. It is taught to all Shinigami to strike the Mask fast and hard to purify the Hollow, lest they end up seeing what might be under the Mask, the possible face of the human soul it once was.

"What happens if I run into Ishida?" Ichigo keeps his face turned away but Yoruichi pinches his side, knowing he is grinning.

"I should let him put a few holes in you as a lesson, but then I would be the one stitching those holes up." She pinches him again before caressing him as she finishes. "My turn."

"Yes, yes bossy nude neko."

XXXX

Arriving at the shouten early in the morning just as she and Ichigo had planned the night before, the pair make their way inside the building before splitting up, Yoruichi making her way towards the back of the building while Ichigo heads towards the dining room where Tessai is waiting for him with tea. Stopping before a familiar door, she knocks once and waits until she is told to come in. Sliding the door open, she steps in and sees the blonde-haired scientist fiddling with something lying on his table.

"Is that it?" She asks as she makes her way into the room.

Stepping aside, Kisuke gestures grandly towards the Gigai that is revealed lying on the table; thankfully, it is completely dressed.

"It's perfect Kisuke." Yoruichi whispers as she trails her hand down the lightly tan-skinned body. "Can I?"

"Go ahead, it's ready for you. Once you get it on, I'll have to make a few adjustments so you don't feel so cramped inside of it."

Frowning slightly as Yoruichi ignores his squeezy-hand gestures, Kisuke watches his friend lift the Gigai easily and then slip inside like the professional she is. Despite his earlier insinuation, Kisuke is completely professional as well, taking a few measurements with one of his gadgets before declaring it almost perfect. Tapping the table once, he waits for Yoruichi to hop back up so he can make the final adjustments to her new form.

"You sure he's gonna be able to handle this 'new' you kitten?" The blonde-haired exile asks as he makes some minor changes to her body for better performance.

Looking over her new body, the Shihōin's lips curl upwards. "Who knows. I just can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees me in this."

Reaching into a cupboard, Kisuke chuckles as he hands Yoruichi her new book-bag. "You really meant what you said that day, didn't you?"

Light blue orbs gaze into his searching gray orbs. "I thought I'd never find this feeling again Kisuke, and I sure as hell ain't about to let it slip through my fingers a second time. Besides, I am bored waiting all day for him to come home after school. Now, at least I get to be with him and who knows, maybe this will help us develop as a 'normal human couple' would." She hops off the table with a smirk. "Now, do you want to see his expression when he sees the 'new' me?"

Kisuke snaps his fan open, motioning for her to leave first while he follows behind. Keeping a few paces between them, he can hear Ichigo and Tessai speaking about some of the higher level Kidō they were going to start working on when Yoruichi walks into the room and Ichigo's voice suddenly stops. Grinning as he pokes his head into the door, he sees the younger man's eyes wide open and staring at the Gigai his oldest friend is now using.

"Is-is that really you Yoruichi?" Ichigo's eyes are completely transfixed by her.

Gone is the purple hair and golden eyes denoting the Shihōin Princess he is so used to seeing every day at home and at the shouten. Instead, he sees a much younger-looking teenager with very light-brown hair cut close and short in the back to expose her neck and spiking slightly from the sides. Her body still retains Yoruichi's shape, her full curvy chest and long slender limbs hiding deceptive power. Finishing her disguise are a pair of glasses with light-blue eyes twinkling from behind them as they take in the stunned teenage Shinigami sitting before her with a gobsmacked expression, with Tessai sitting beside him forgotten and smiling as he sips his cup of tea while listening to Ichigo attempt to speak intelligently.

"Y-you…" Ichigo's voice cracks as he hurriedly stands to his feet. "I can honestly say I wouldn't have known it was you if I hadn't been forewarned by Tessai-san. The Gigai looks incredible Geta-Boshi, though it does bring up why does she have to look so different than what she really looks like."

Yoruichi frowns slightly as she answers. "We didn't want certain busy-bodies trying to find out who you are if they spot me near you in my old Gigai, Ichigo. Aizen would instantly know something is going on if he even sees me once in your company, he might even deduce who you could be fairly quickly. So, Kisuke and Tessai came up with this Gigai that will retain its own shape rather than my Spiritual form." She ends with a slight smirk at the cleverness of their disguise.

Keeping his own smile frozen in place, Ichigo pushes down on the forming knot in his stomach that had appeared the moment he was reminded of Aizen's habit of periodically sending spy-cameras to Karakura to keep tabs on his younger sister's growth. The first time he heard of it, he had flipped out when Kisuke forbade him from going after those cameras.

 _'Do you want him to know you exist Ichigo? Do you want him to come here to investigate what is destroying his cameras? Do you want him to make his move before you are ready to help us in our fight against him simply because he found out that you are still alive? I know how much it angers you being unable to do anything, but I need you to wait and make him pay for his crimes only when you are ready, not beforehand, not when you are still no match for him._ '

He had hated Geta-Boshi for all of an hour after that serious warning; it was only when he was playing Shogi with Tessai to calm down and the older man had explained the different pieces to him that he finally understood what Kisuke was truly telling him. All of them, they were pieces on a chessboard, playing a game that no one could predict the final outcome to be, with a plan that hinged on him being overlooked by their opponent until he was in position to strike. Geta-Boshi wanted him to play smart and make it to the other side of that board before Aizen counted him as a threat, even if it meant other pieces would be put in danger to buy him a distraction. Resigned to that fact, Ichigo never brought it up again.

The young man is brought out of his dark memories when Yoruichi takes his hand in hers, the look of worry evident in her eyes.

"Sorry Yoruichi, just remembering things." Ichigo apologizes. "So, when do you plan on actually coming to school with me?"

Yoruichi's smile turns mischievous as she looks into his eyes. "Today as a matter-of-fact. I had Tessai register me yesterday as my 'guardian'. We also have a plan in place if I have to come to school at the same time my 'younger self' has to be there as well."

When she doesn't elaborate, he can only assume that it has something to do with the other exiles he has yet to meet. Kisuke and Tessai are both tight-lipped about them and the only thing Yoruichi has said about them is that they were never given the chance to defend themselves before Central Forty-Six. Assuming that one of these 'Vizards' are part of their plan, Ichigo doesn't push for an answer, instead grabbing his book-bag and then pulling Yoruichi's hand.

"Thanks for the tea Tessai-san. See you later Geta-Boshi."

Yoruichi waves over her shoulder as she lets Ichigo lead them back to the front of the store.

Waving back at the departing Shihōin princess, Kisuke finally sighs as he watches them disappear around the corner. "I'm glad you got a second chance at love Yoruichi." He then pulls out a well-worn locket from inside his haori, the faded paint of a woman's face on the portrait within as she gazes back at him, her smile reaching up to her emerald orbs and blonde hair. He doesn't acknowledge Tessai leaving for another part of the store, the larger man unwilling to watch the sight he has only borne witness to once before.

"I miss you…" Kisuke's hand never rises to wipe away the tears that form in his eyes.

XXXX

"Are you looking forward to this Yoruichi?" Ichigo quietly asks as they walk down the street.

The disguised Shihōin Princess shrugs her shoulders indifferently. "It beats sitting at home every day waiting for you. Besides, it might be interesting to learn how much this world has changed in the last forty plus years."

Ichigo looked surprised by this. "You went to school in the World of the Living before?"

Smiling, the disguised Shinigami answers. "For a few years in the Nineteen-Sixties. It... was interesting to say the least, Japan was growing as an independent nation after the Occupation and her economic miracle during those years were astonishing. That was when I last went to school Ichigo, I was bored and needed something to do, so I enrolled in a few 'traditional' classes, but what I saw... what I saw back then really showed me how far behind Soul Society is when compared to the Living World... even then, I found myself envying the living."

"High school will be pretty boring if you already went to University Yoruichi." Ichigo remarks. "And..."

"And what Ichigo?"

" **Best tell her and get it over with King. You try and lie to her and she sees it firsthand, well... I'd hate to be you when you get home tonight.** "

" _ **I must agree Ichigo, telling the truth now will save you an uncomfortable night with Yoruichi-dono.**_ " Juda adds.

"Ichigo?" This time Yoruichi's voice demands an answer.

Rubbing the back of his head nervously, he stutters with his reply. "W-well, ah, you see Yoruichi, I haven't been completely honest about how school's been going. Before you ask, no, I haven't been bothered by any bullies, I solved that the first day by beating up the largest gang the school had." He flushed uncomfortably at her raised eyebrow. "See... the problem is... well, the problem is because of that... I might... I might have found myself... the unwilling recipient of... numerous love notes in my shoe locker..."

Yoruichi's expression could have frozen vapor into ice. "What love letters Ichi-kun?"

'Oh, shit! She's pissed!' Ichigo frantically thinks.

" **Get on with it King, now's the time to find out where you do stand with her.** "

"I keep telling them I... I keep telling them that... there is someone... I love..."

"Who?" The Exiled Shinigami Captain asks, now looking rather uncertain and insecure.

Sweating in nervousness as he turns to face the woman next to him, Ichigo replays her words in his mind as he answers. "That night of the Shattered Shaft, y-you said I was yours. Does, does that mean what I think it means Yoruichi? That, that you see me as something more than your... than your son?"

Blue eyes widen in surprise as Yoruichi spies something she isn't expecting to see in Ichigo's eyes, desperate hopefulness. Her own heart begins to beat faster. "I told Kisuke that night that I love you Ichigo, the same way Isshin had fallen in love with Masaki after they had each saved one another. I told him that somewhere during those years when we hid ourselves away from the world, my feelings had shifted from loving you as my son towards wanting to be … wanting to be the woman who you would call as yours..."

Ichigo's eyes had grown completely wide by now. "R-really?"

Closing the distance between herself and Ichigo, Yoruichi places her hand on his heart. "Is it so wrong for me to fall in love with you Ichigo?"

Placing his hands over the one covering his heart, Ichigo stares into Yoruichi's waiting blue orbs. The constant arguments that he had with both Zangetsu and Juda over the weeks since the night of the Shattered Shaft, about him not trusting his instincts with regards to what Yoruichi had said before he cut his Chain of Fate once again come to the forefront of his thoughts. Zangetsu sparred with him mercilessly to drive home the point that Ichigo was still ignoring his instincts, that he would always try and think things through far too often and it would cost him dearly one day if he didn't make use of what was rightfully his, his Hollow instincts, his ability to react naturally to problems instead of always trying to reason things out. Juda on the other hand did advocate thinking things through, but only of situations that demanded tactical and strategic thought before getting into those battles, and once a decision was made he expected Ichigo to commit himself to it. Now, as he stands before Yoruichi, his instincts are screaming at him and for once, he obeys without questioning them.

"No. No, Yoruichi. Just, just that I... I've never done this before Yoruichi. I don't know what to do." Uncertain of what he is doing but trying his best to convey what he means, he squeezes her hand tighter to himself.

Yoruichi's face suddenly relaxes as she smiles back into his orbs. "Does that mean you want to try Ichigo? You and me?"

Ichigo rubs his head bashfully. "Yeah, I wanna try Yoruichi, but you're going to have to allow me some room to make mistakes and learn from them as I have no idea of what being in a relationship means. The only references I can count on are those crappy dramas you watch at night." He remarks with a slight grin.

Ignoring the blatant jab at her choice of entertainment, Yoruichi tightens her grip on Ichigo's shirt, pulling him forward until her lips are brushing against his once again. "Then, as your Sensei, it will be my honor to help you learn what that means Ichigo."

Seeing her half-lidded, desiring eyes, he mirrors her actions as he pulls her closer towards him. "I look forward to it Yoruichi."

"Unfortunately, we have to hurry or we'll be late for my first day Ichigo." Yoruichi suddenly quips as she pushes herself from Ichigo. "I don't want to gain a reputation for tardiness my first day now would I?"

Ichigo nearly gapes, until he sees Yoruichi's eyes sparkling with joy and the cheeky smile on her face. Relaxing as he realizes she means every word that she said, he checks his watch and his eyes widen. "Shit! We gotta run Yoruichi! Or can you Shunpo in that Gigai?" He asks as he quickly does a Reiatsu scan to check that no one is in their immediate area.

Yoruichi slips her arm through his again and answers back. "I told Kisuke to give me a Gigai capable of using my Reiatsu, so yes I can use Shunpo." She grins mischievously as an idea comes to mind.

"Good, so we...Yoruichiiiiiii!" Ichigo's scream echoes among the buildings as they disappear from view.

After a moment, two men reveal themselves from beneath a weird cloak that seems to blend into the background. The blonde-haired man turns to his counterpart who folds the cloak away neatly. "So, that's him Tessai?"

The taller man nods calmly. "Yes, it was Shinji. The sooner you and your group meet him, the better off for everyone, especially if what Kisuke thinks about his Zanpakutō spirits is true."

The former Captain of Squad Five sticks his hands back into his pants pockets and nods his head sharply. "I'll talk it over with them, we'll let you know our answer by the end of the week."

The former Kidō Corps Commander bows his head fractionally. "Until then Shinji."

"Later." The Vizard waves over his shoulder as he walks away.

Waiting until his fellow Exile is gone from sight, Tessai lets a smile form on his face as he heads back towards the shouten. "Take care of her Ichigo. I don't envy you one bit, especially not when the nobles of Soul Society find out about you and Shihōin-dono..."

XXXX

After being dropped out of Shunpo in a deserted alleyway near the High School, Ichigo quickly sticks his hand out to steady himself on the nearest brick wall. "Dammit Yoruichi, we could've gotten caught!"

The disguised Shinigami rolls her eyes at his statement before slipping her arm through his and pulling him along. "That will never happen Ichi-kun, I'm not called the Goddess of Flash without reason. No mere human could ever hope to see me, in fact not many Shinigami can either. Besides, Aizen hasn't sent one of his nosy camera-bugs around for quite some time, so I think today should be made an exception. Now come along, you have to show me to the main office so I can get my schedule."

Ichigo speeds up slightly so he is walking by her side. "Fine, fine. By the way, what name are you going to be using?" He whisper-asks as he guides Yoruichi along the sidewalk, never seeing the shocked faces of several First-year students that had been coming up behind them.

Sensing the dagger-eyed stares from the people behind her, Yoruichi glances over her shoulder and sending a wink at the group of girls walking behind them as she replies just as quietly. "Yamada Akemi. My Kaa-chan's name."

Unware of her actions, Ichigo glances as his partner. "You never told me their names."

Frowning slightly, Yoruichi presses up against Ichigo as they walk through the main gate. "It never seemed like a good time to bring them up honestly. I... I haven't thought about my parents in decades, I left without being able to tell them what was going on and never had the chance to contact them since then. Maybe one day that will change."

"Yeah, one day... Akemi-chan."

Sensing the increasing hostility from the girls behind them, Yoruichi suddenly plays coy. "You are so forward Watanabe-kun... Is that how you smooth-talked all of those young hearts into throwing themselves at your feet?"

Ichigo nearly sputters in shock, as well as the girls following behind them. "D-dammit, no!" His face turns red as Yoruichi laughs, hugging his arm to her ample chest.

"Come on lover-boy, I need my schedule before the first bell rings." Her voice carries clearly over the courtyard, heard by all the watching and gossiping female students who are spreading the word that the number one most desirable male in their school is being taken by a newcomer.

XXXX

Yoruichi stands outside in the hallway waiting for her teacher, Ms. Ochi, to accept her transference into her class. Moments later, she hears the dark-haired woman yelling at the class inside to quiet down, before calling for her to enter. Entering quickly, the disguised Yoruichi walks over to the side of the teacher's desk and bows to the class after writing her name on the board.

"My name is Yamada Akemi. Please take care of me, thank you."

Knowing the looks of her Gigai, Yoruichi isn't surprised by the cat-calls and whistles coming from the males of the class, but she is surprised when the girls of the class begin darting their eyes towards the scowling orange-haired teen sitting in the back row of the classroom. She can feel a mixture of envy and uncertainty coming from most of them, though some seem genuinely welcoming or indifferent towards her.

"Shut it you morons or its detention for the next two weeks! Now, Yamada-chan do you mind answering a few questions from your new classmates?" Ms. Ochi asks after barking at her class.

Shaking her head, Yoruichi smiles at the now quieter class. "As long as it doesn't pertain to my private life, sure, I'll answer a few."

The first hand up belongs to a rough looking teen with badly dyed blonde hair. "You wanna go out with me? I can show you around and meet some other interesting people..."

"Ah, no. Next." Yoruichi's dismissal isn't taken too well however.

"What, you too good for me Princess?" The boy sneers as he leans forward and thumps his table.

Yoruichi smirks as she gives him a condescending look. "For you, yes. Next question."

Ignoring the sputtering blonde, a girl in the second row raises her hand. "If you don't mind answering Yamada-san, how do you know Watanabe-san? I only ask because a few of us saw you two walking together before school."

"We do because our families are well acquainted with one another." Yoruichi answers, deciding to leave it as that.

After a few more mundane questions, the last one perks up her interest. "Are you planning on joining any clubs? If you are interested, we are in need of an alternative member for our Karate club, we are barely meeting the numbers needed to participate in tournaments against other schools and our other alternate is out sick indefinitely."

Nodding her head, Yoruichi smiles as she answers. "I'll stop by and watch your practice today before making up my mind. Is that sufficient for now?"

The girl's thankful reply was drowned out by a rude voice. "You? Karate? You look a nerd, you couldn't possibly know how to fight." The blonde-haired punk who was shot down earlier is the same one to insult her. Having lost face from her rejection, he now wants to tear down her image as much as possible.

Before Yoruichi can answer however, an unexpected person speaks up for her. "Then challenge her."

All heads including Yoruichi and Ms. Ochi swivel towards the person who had spoken. "Watanabe-kun?"

Ichigo keeps his glare focused on the dyed-haired punk and repeats his words slowly. "Challenge her then, you moron. You think she is some kind of porcelain doll who can't fight, or a 'nerd' who has her head buried in books all day? Then fight her. As someone who has fought against her almost daily for the last eight years, and having seen you 'fight' before, I can tell that you might last two, maybe three minutes' tops before she puts you to the mat, and that's only if she's playing nice with you."

The air quotes around 'fight' and Ichigo's sarcasm is the last straw for the insulted punk, and he jumps to his feet, spitting as he yells back. "Fuck you, asshole! Just because you beat up Tsuneo-senpai doesn't mean this bitch can beat me!"

Ms. Ochi slams her hands on her desk. "Language! Now apologize to Yamada-chan, and then march yourself to the..."

Yoruichi coughs politely to interrupt Ms. Ochi. "It's okay Sensei, I'm not bothered by mere words; as Watanabe-kun said earlier, I am not a delicate flower that needs to be protected, so if this classmate agrees to a fair bout after school today, I will consider the matter closed."

"Fine! Don't come crying to the teachers when I crush you, you smug bitch!" The dyed-haired teen growls as he plops back in his chair, still glaring at both Ichigo and 'Yamada Akemi', the former rolling his eyes and leaning back in his chair completely unperturbed by the boy, and the latter nodding towards the girl from the Karate club before turning to look at Ms. Ochi.

Somewhat caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Ms. Ochi casts about for something to say. "Well then, let's settle your seating arrangements. Yamada-chan, you can sit in front of Watanabe-kun. Miho-chan, if you don't mind helping her settle in?"

Yoruichi moves to the empty seat in front of Ichigo and smiles when she sees him pulling uncomfortably at his collar, after she adds a bit of sway to her hips as she walks up to her seat. Twirling and gracefully settling in butt-first, she hears him cough loudly, smiling as she knows what she has discreetly given him a view of.

"Damn tease." The muttered voice could be heard from Ichigo behind her.

She grins, not bothering to answer out loud. 'You like it though, don't you?'

XXXX

Ryūken stares at the now hung-up phone, the person on the other line didn't give him a chance to talk before they ended the call, but what Kisuke said did peak his interest.

 _'Take a stroll tonight Ishida-sensei, there are sure to be... some unusual sights out and about._ '

Shaking his head, the doctor pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. Ever since that night when Masaki involved herself with the Shinigami, his own world had changed as well. Not only did he lose his fiancée, one he wasn't sure was too keen on getting married to him to begin with, but he also found out that the woman he did love had been at his side all along. Glancing at the only photo to decorate his desk, Ryūken sighs at the reminder that Uryū had lost the only other person who meant anything to him.

His own father, Sōken, died because of his belief that Quincy and Shinigami could work together, only for those same Shinigami to betray him by leaving him to die at the hands of the Hollows he was fighting. Uryū, after some serious cajoling, had told him what he had witnessed, that the Shinigami had grabbed his Father's soul and took him to someone named Kurotsuchi. The fact that Uryū had to witness that betrayal only cemented in his son's young mind that Shinigami, all Shinigami were inherently evil and were not needed to defend human souls.

Now his cousin had returned from being 'dead' and worse, was one of those very beings he hated.

'I wish you were here to help me with our Musuko, Kanae...'

XXXX

Walking towards the gymnasium, Ichigo and Yoruichi soon realize that every student they walk past is giving them very strange looks, and when they actually arrive at the gym, they find out why. Nearly every bleacher has been pulled out and the gym is filled with hundreds of chattering students who all grow silent with expectation when the pair stop just inside the cavernous room. Yoruichi wordlessly hands Ichigo her bag and turns towards the female locker room, but before she can move, she feels his hand tighten on her wrist. Twisting back to see what he wants, she finds his face filling her vision, and then his lips pressing gently on hers before he pulls away.

"I'd say be careful, but I won't. Make it a match everyone will remember." Smiling, he releases her hand and starts to walk towards an empty place near the locker room.

Touching her lips, Yoruichi smiles and heads into the locker room, where she finds most of the girls Karate team waiting for her already. In the hands of the Third-Year student team Captain is a complete set of Gi.

"Are you sure about this Yamada-san? Katsuo is a fifth-degree Black Belt, believe it or not, which is probably why he is such a dick because he hasn't ever lost a fight yet." The Karate Team Captain says. She ignores her fellow teammates muttering about Katsuo being undefeated because he is too cowardly to face Ichigo.

Having heard of the Captain's name from her newest classmate, Yoruichi replies with a smile. "I'll be okay, Fujioka-senpai. As Watanabe-kun said in class, we have been training for a number of years, so I should be fine. Thanks for telling me what his Dan is though, it will be nice to see his face when I kick his ass in front of everyone here."

After changing into her borrowed Gi, Yoruichi walks casually towards the mats where her opponent is waiting. A middle-aged man is also standing there in the middle of the mats, most likely a teacher. Bowing to the man who is obviously going to be the referee, Yoruichi steps onto the mats and inclines her head politely to the teen facing her, narrowing her eyes at the smirk on his lips as he lets his eyes wander up and down her body.

"You actually look pretty good in those. Hopefully my hands won't slip and touch something by 'accident'." The blonde punk sneers lecherously.

Lifting one eyebrow in disgust, Yoruichi turns to the referee who simply stares back at her. "I'm ready."

The man nods once and looks at the other fighter, who simply nods confidently. Striding to the center, he looks at both combatants and speaks loud enough for the crowded gymnasium to hear.

"I want a clean bout, no illegal moves allowed and no groping or you are done." Lowering his hand in a chopping motion, he raises it and swiftly steps back, only to gape as Yoruichi crosses the distance to the other teen in a heartbeat and pokes him in the forehead, hard. To the shock of all who are watching, the force of her poke is enough to send the dyed-haired teen stumbling backwards, his arms flailing wildly to keep his balance.

Planting her hand on her hip, Yoruichi smirks at the wide-eyed punk. "Is that all you've got? Just one poke and you're done?"

Face flushing angrily at the insinuation, Katsuo charges at her, hands raised in claws to grab at her. Raising her eyebrows in mock surprise, Yoruichi sways easily between his attacks, casually deflecting his hands with light chops and stepping away every time he tries to close the gap between them. Growling in frustration at the continuous thwarting of his attacks, Katsuo suddenly throws himself forward, hoping to catch his opponent off guard with a full-body tackle.

Hearing some people in the audience scream out in shock, Yoruichi reacts swiftly; as Katsuo approaches, she suddenly grabs his head and pulls him forcefully down, using the same momentum to flip herself gracefully over his head and landing lightly on her feet while Katsuo is sent sprawling ungracefully on the floor behind her. As the seething boy scrambles to his feet, Yoruichi adds insult to injury by planting a foot on his bottom and shoving him forward, sending the teen tumbling head over heels again.

When the enraged and humiliated teen scrambles to his feet for the second time, he sees his opponent standing in the same position as she was previously while watching him casually, a faint smirk plastered on her face. "I heard you were a fifth-Dan, Katsuo... Surely you can do better than that?" Her tone is clearly mocking. "Aren't you supposed to be undefeated so far?"

Humiliated beyond all reasoning, the blonde punk lets out a howl of rage and attacks Yoruichi furiously, fists and feet flying wildly in an attempt to hit her. Surprisingly enough, his sloppy form seems to have tightened up and his attacks are far more precise and dangerous now, which is the most likely reason for him being able to claim that he was undefeated in battle thus far. Many of the students who have witnessed him beating up others or have been on the receiving end of one of his beatings grip the edge of their seats in panic, praying that the newcomer girl will not suffer the same fate that so many others have...

Their prayer is answered as Yoruichi's playful demeanor vanishes and is replaced by cold deliberation. Ignoring the screams from the audience as she steps into his attack, the Shihōin Princess calmly parries two blows before grabbing Katsuo's wrist and slamming her other hand on his shoulder. There is a sickening pop as the blonde punk's shoulder is dislocated, the howl of pain from the teen magnified when Yoruichi stomps deliberately on his foot and repeats the action on his other shoulder, the force of her blow dropping the teen to the floor. Ignoring the way his body is writhing in pain, her foot snaps out twice, each hit accompanied by another pop as his knee joints are both dislocated as well.

Standing over her disabled opponent, she looks down coldly at him, seeing a mixture of pain and horror on his face. If he was truly an enemy, now would be the time to execute him, or perhaps torture him for information... Fortunately for him, he is just an ignorant little brat who thinks too highly of his own abilities.

"Lights out, punk." With a swift strike, she knocks him out before turning to face the teacher, an innocent look on her face. "So, do I win?"

There is a moment of stunned silence, which is broken when the teacher steps forward and raises his hand. "Shousa: Yamada Akemi!"

As his announcement is made, the crowd of teens who had witnessed Yoruichi defeat the notorious bully immediately burst into cheers and loud applause, the sound drowning out all possible conversation in the building. The members of the Karate club all rush out from the bleachers where they had been watching, surrounding Yoruichi with wide smiles on each of their faces and piling her with hugs, but none more so than the Captain who looks as if a gift had fallen out of the Heavens and landed right in front of her. Even the teachers who are watching the match look fairly impressed, although several of them are concerned with the way Yoruichi had viciously dismantled her opponent before knocking him out. The only ones who look truly unhappy with the outcome of the match are a group of furious looking teens who are standing near one of the exits, many of them wearing their uniforms sloppily and having dyed hair or facial piercings. Seeing them, Yoruichi's eyes narrow as she realizes that they must be Katsuo's gang, and when she notices Ichigo standing to his feet and glaring at the same teens who he notices are glaring at her, she weaves past the Karate club and walks up to her boyfriend, stepping in front of his face and pulling it gently down to her level.

"We'll deal with them later." She whispers, her eyes locking his in place.

His eyes flicker towards the glaring punks before back to her once more, then he finally gives in. "Later then. You going to shower here or wait until we get home to take a bath?"

Smirking, she presses herself up against his body, ignoring the gasps from the nearby audience at witnessing her overt actions. "How about we go home and take a bath... so we can take one together?" She whispers huskily into his ear.

Yoruichi feels his pulse quicken and his body temperature rise. "I'll take that as a yes, Watanabe-kun... Wait for me here while I go and change."

Ichigo swallows as he tries to maintain an impassive look. "Sure thing."

Snickering, Yoruichi heads into the girl's locker room to change. It takes her some time as she has to accept the numerous congratulations coming from the Girls Karate Club who have trooped in to join her, along with working out an agreement to join the team as their new alternate. She found it incredibly amusing when their Captain hugged her with teary eyes, happily declaring that they finally stood a chance to get to the championships. Finally coming out of the locker room and waving goodbye to the Karate Club, she found the gym to be mostly deserted except for a few lingering groups of students who are still discussing the match, waving at her as she makes her way over to Ichigo. The orange-haired young man turns in time to see her saunter towards him, and a brief smile perks up his lips as he stretches one hand out towards her.

"Ready to go?" He asks.

Nodding, she takes his hand and lets him take the lead. "We should get in a nap after our bath Ichigo, tonight is going to be your first night to hunt Hollows." She says quietly as he leads them out of the school. "Are you nervous?"

Shrugging his shoulders once, he replies. "Not really, I guess it's in my blood to want to fight Hollows. Kaa-chan and Otou-san both did this, so I guess I'm finally joining the 'family business' as they would say." He pauses. "I hope they would be proud."

Yoruichi doesn't answer, merely squeezing his hand comfortingly.

They remain in comfortable silence as they walk home, neither of them speaking even when they finally reach the house. Once they are inside, Ichigo proceeds directly to their room with their book bags, while Yoruichi leaves to find Mia. Upon finding the mod-soul in the kitchen, Yoruichi instructs her to wake them up at seven-thirty P.M. in order for them to get to Urahara's at a decent hour. Returning to the room she shares with Ichigo, she strips out of her uniform and slides open the door to the bathroom only to see Ichigo already sitting on a stool and waiting for her. She moves towards her own stool only for him to grab her hand and turn her to face him. Grasping her cheek gently, he pulls her down until her face is inches away from his, then she cups his face and brings their lips together for a chaste kiss, which soon deepens into something more as he pulls her entire body down onto his lap and crushes her to him.

When they part, he is breathing slightly faster than normal as he speaks to her. "Sorry, I have been wanting to do that ever since you won your fight..."

Yoruichi simply smiles, grinding herself lightly into his lap with a purr. "Ehmm, if I get that after every fight I win, I might get addicted to your rewards Ichigo." With a sigh, she lifts her body off of his lap and moves to sit on her stool, her eyes flicking towards his groin. "As much as I would love to sit on your lap however, we do have to get a nap in."

Having been trained well by Yoruichi, Ichigo shows no sign of embarrassment despite his clear state of his arousal. "I know, I know. Question though, does cleaning your Gigai translate into your soul getting clean?" He asks as she tilts her head forward, allowing him to pour the first bucket of water over her head to wash her hair.

"Something like that, Kisuke never did go into too much detail about how these Gigai of his work." Yoruichi comments, pushing her wet hair back from her face. "Though, I suspect they are truly human in their construct; how else could he explain you and your Imouto?"

Hearing Ichigo grunting his agreement, she sits still as she feels his hands begin to wash her body after another bucket of water is poured over her. At first, she doesn't notice anything unusual, but as his hands travel over her body she realizes he is definitely washing her much differently than before. His hands explore every inch of her skin, long sliding touches and gentle caresses as he washes her body and then moves on to her hair. When he tilts her head back to rinse her hair, she can see him staring into her orbs before she closes them and she hears him uttering one word. "Mine."

XXXX

Tessai and Ururu both pause when Ichigo and Yoruichi walk into the shop just after eight-thirty, in the orange-haired teen's hand is several boxes of Pocky. Tessai watches as the young man approaches Ururu and hands her the snacks, ruffling her hair before giving a nod to the Kidō Commander.

"Yo, Tessai, is it alright for her to have them?"

The larger man gives him a wry look. "Of course, Shiba-dono. The Boss will be with you shortly." Pointing to the rear of the shouten, Tessai gives Ururu a nod when she looks up questioningly at him.

"This way please Ichigo." The shy younger girl says as she takes Ichigo's hand and leads him in.

"Ururu, what did I tell you before?"

Blushing faintly, the pigtailed girl quietly speaks again. "Sorry… Ichi-nii."

"Better. See ya downstairs Yoruichi, Tessai."

Giving him an acknowledging nod, the burly muscled man watches as Ichigo walks with Ururu who shares some of her chocolate banana-flavored Pocky with the orange-haired teen. Noticing that Yoruichi is intently watching the two youngsters retreating further back into the shouten, Tessai looks at her and has to hide his surprise when he sees a fawning look in the Shihōin Princess' eyes. Thinking it wise to keep this memory to himself, he discreetly slips away through another doorway leading into the back, where he finds Kisuke lying on his futon with his face covered by his hat.

"They're here Boss." Tessai calls through the open doorway.

Lifting his hat, Kisuke's eyes slowly open. "'Bout time they showed up."

Jumping to his feet, Kisuke grabs Benihime and strolls over to the trap-door leading to his training dimension, where he can feel Ichigo's Reiatsu flaring in annoyance and Jinta's Reiatsu flaring in fear; rolling his eyes, he wonders if the younger boy is getting his ass beat again for picking on Ururu in front of the older teen. Dropping down through the open hatch, he lands lightly and easily finds Tessai and Yoruichi shaking their heads in mirth as they observe Ichigo holding Jinta down and encouraging Ururu to spank the struggling red-head.

The former Captain walks up to his fellow exiles, watching for several more minutes before deciding to help his younger charge.

"I believe he's had enough disciplining Ichi-ch…" Kisuke stops when he notices the sudden black bleeding into the white of the teen's eyes. "Well, as I was saying, perhaps you could let Jinta go for now, he does have his uses around the shouten."

Grumbling, the orange-haired teen reluctantly releases a very grateful and embarrassed looking Jinta. The younger boy pushes his luck by pulling his eyelid down and sticking his tongue out at Ichigo, only to receive a fist to the top of his head.

"I believe you should stop while you're ahead Jinta-chan." Tessai admonishes the young boy as he grabs the back of his shirt and hauls him back up. "Ururu, we should return to our duties."

"Hai, Tessai-san. Good luck tonight Ichi-nii, Shihōin-san." The dark-pigtailed girl says with a deep bow before following the hulking form of the Kidō master back to shop.

Once they are gone, Kisuke lifts his cane and knocks the waiting Ichigo out of his body, with Yoruichi standing behind ready to catch the young man's empty body. Ichigo then returns the favor and catches her new Gigai after she lets Kisuke push her out of the body.

"We really should think about getting some Gikongan Yoruichi, might save my ass one day." Ichigo says as he carries their bodies to their usual resting spot near the hot springs.

"Kisuke, got any of those new ones I heard rumors of?" The were-cat asks as she stretches her limbs. "Also, we should do some adjustments with my Gigai, it's starting to feel a bit stuffy."

"We'll work on it when you get back from your first patrol with Ichigo. Now, do you feel that you are ready Ichigo?" Kisuke's mood turns serious as he looks at the teen.

Nodding only once, Ichigo stays quiet as he waits for his instructions. As it turns out, the first one already tests him sorely.

"Leave Zangetsu here. Before you argue I will explain. I want to see how proficient your Kidō and Hakuda are, and I want you to keep your Zanpakutō from being seen tonight if Aizen gets curious. Best that we keep him in the dark for as long as possible, at least until he figures out that you are no rogue member of the Shihōin Clan." Kisuke emphasizes his point by tapping Ichigo's uniform. "This is not given away lightly, he'll try very hard to find out who you are the moment he sees this uniform, so when you sense a spy camera, I want you to disappear as fast you can, Reiatsu and all."

Ichigo frowns, but nods. "I understand." He winces when his two spirits immediately voice their vocal dislike of the plan.

'Guys, let's see how this pans out, just for a little bit.'

" **At least promise if things go sideways, you won't hesitate to call on us?** "

'I won't.' Ichigo remarks even as he acknowledges the unease from both his spirits.

Feeling twin sets of eyes staring quizzically at him, he hurries to explain. "They wanted to give me their opinion." Ichigo shifts nervously as Kisuke stares at him, then at the dual Zanpakutō now propped up next to his and Yoruichi's bodies, grey eyes flickering with interest.

"...Perhaps because they are hybrid Zanpakutō..." The scientist suddenly remarks.

"Huh?" Ichigo and Yoruichi reply in unison.

"Hybrids, that has to be a clue as to why you can communicate with them so effortlessly. Zangetsu is the Hollow that infected Masaki, which passed on to you and perhaps left some remnants in Tamiko as well..." The blonde-haired exile explains. "I wonder…"

"Wonder what Geta-Boshi?" Ichigo asks when the elder Shinigami stops speaking.

"What? Oh, sorry, just a theory for now Ichigo, when I have more data I will tell you. Back to your mission for tonight: use your stealth and speed to your advantage when dealing with any Hollow you encounter. Yoruichi, I believe this last part is your purview."

The Shihōin Princess nods, then turns to face her protégé. "Ichigo."

Turning until he is facing Yoruichi, Ichigo wonders what the two have planned for him.

"Do you remember the note I wrote you the day I told you the whole truth about what we are?" She asks.

"Yes." He recalls the note in his head, but nothing stands out until he feels Yoruichi's hands grabbing the loose cloth under his chin, the one article of clothing he was never allowed to touch.

Pulling the cloth that symbolizes his anonymity up and over Ichigo's lower face, she recites the pledge that had once been given to her from her own parents. "To Soul Society, you don't exist, you are to be denied if you fail in your mission or are captured. You punish those that are to be punished without pity, remorse or mercy. You, Shiba Ichigo, are now Shihōin. Faceless, nameless, you walk and strike from the shadows."

Stepping backwards, Yoruichi shivers lightly as she takes in Ichigo's vestige, but it is one of thrill rather than fear. Starting with his black head scarf to his jika-tabi of the same color, Ichigo now fills out the once loose uniform nicely.

'He was born to wear that uniform.' She praises herself inwardly for making the right decision.

Even Kisuke can feel it, the primordial aura surrounding Yoruichi's latest student that sends chills up and down his arms when he gazes into Ichigo's cold stare.

'He is a true predator.' The blonde former Captain acknowledges.

Ichigo waits for a while, but realizes neither of his mentors are about to speak. "So, when do we leave Yoruichi?" He finally asks.

The Shihōin Princess blinks, then gives him a quick peck on his covered cheek while responding. "I still need a few things from Tessai, so why don't you and Kisuke go over your Kidō while you wait?"

"Sure thing. Geta-Boshi?"

Pointing to several dummies, Kisuke motions for the teen to follow him even as Yoruichi disappears into the shouten. "Hopefully, these will survive this time." He mutters.

"Hey! Not my damn fault it took so long."

Looking back at Ichigo with a raised eyebrow, Kisuke can't help the small grin that he develops. "Well, First-Year Shinigami don't normally obliterate or punch holes through dummies with the first Hadō, Ichigo. It is meant to push an opponent back, not to kill them."

Grumbling to himself, the teen rolls his eyes as he stops next to his mentor. "Fine, fine, I'll give you that, but I have been getting better. Watch."

Lifting his hand, Ichigo sweats slightly as he tries to regulate his Reiatsu. Taking a deep breath, he focuses and casts. "Hadō One: Sho!"

Kisuke snaps his fan open and hides his face, desperately trying not to laugh when the dust clears. Six of the seven dummies are now thirty meters from their original starting position, while the seventh, which is on the far-left side of the row, is barely hanging upright from its pole. Casting a quick glance at his student, he simply points to the six that are spewed across the training grounds.

"Well, at least they don't have holes or are damaged… too much, Ichigo."

The orange-haired teen sighs. "This is gonna be a long night ain't it?"

"Very, very long."

XXXX

Uryū shakes the feeling that tonight is going to be very different from his usual nights as he continues his nightly patrol for Hollows. The current Shinigami is somewhat competent in his abilities, but he still hadn't caught on that there is a thirteen-year-old Quincy helping in keeping the town safe. However, the cause of Uryū's growing anxiety stems from the fact that his father had actually watched him leave for his patrol without voicing his usual displeasure that Uryū continues to stick his nose in the business of the dead. In fact, the younger Quincy almost swears that his Father had been dressed as if he were going to be leaving the house as well for whatever reason... His thoughts are interrupted when he senses a Hollow coming into the World of the Living. Racing in the direction of the Hollow, he pauses when the Hollow's death scream suddenly fills the air, then he runs towards it even faster.

Reaching the place where he had sensed the Hollow appearing, Uryū skids around the corner of an abandoned building, then stops and starts his initial search. Feeling the slowly decaying Reishi of the purified Hollow in the air, the dark-haired Quincy cautiously moves through the alleyway, keeping his senses on alert for an ambush; sensing no other presences, he moves into an empty courtyard and finds the fleeting remnants of the Hollow. Frowning, he slowly turns in place, still sensing nothing as he stares into the shadows of the decrepit buildings. Grimacing when he finally detects the resident Shinigami slowly making his way to his location, Uryū leaves the courtyard feeling confused and angry that something had gotten to his kill first.

A half hour later, he is again fuming at the sudden and mysterious death of the second Hollow he had sensed and tried to reach in time. Again, he only finds the slowly decaying Reishi of the purified Hollow and no indication of who had dispatched the beast. Growling at his inability to find out what is going on, he suddenly shouts out loud.

"Who are you!? Show yourself dammit!"

Standing with his fists quivering at his sides and waiting for an answer that never comes, Uryū finally huffs out in frustration at the strangeness of the night's events so far. He vows to find out who is stealing his kills the next time it happens.

Sensing a third Hollow appearing not too far away, he immediately rushes in the direction of the offending Reiatsu signature. Moving faster than ever, he arrives just as the Hollow's mask is split in half by a bolt of lightning that blinds him from its brightness. Cursing at his own stupidity, the Quincy vigorously rubs his eye sockets to help him end his temporary blindness; after blinking away the last spotty remains, his eyes tearing at how powerful the blast of light had been, he once again sees that the Hollow is just dissolving Reishi. Casting his bleary eyes around, he is unable to see his surroundings properly, much less any hint of the unknown attacker.

"I know you are here! Show yourself!" Uryū screams as he forms his bow again. "I will protect Karakura, not you Shinigami!"

His boast is cut short when an iron grip squeezes his neck from behind and a Hollowish Reiatsu crushes down upon his body, causing his bow to dissipate as he loses concentration. The echoish voice that speaks from behind him causes the hair on his neck to stand on end.

"Little Quincy shouldn't be boasting, you wouldn't want the wrong people to realize that your kind still live and are still actively hunting Hollows, do you?"

"W-what?" The preteen Quincy stutters out in confusion. "Why would a Hollow care about that?"

He hears a snort of contempt before his neck is released. Twisting around with his bow reformed, Uryū draws back the arrow, unable to believe his luck at how unintelligent his attacker must be by releasing him. It is short lived when he finds nothing standing behind him. Startled, he snaps his eyes skywards and again nothing is there. Slowly turning in a full circle, the young Quincy archer still can't locate the Hollow that had surprised him so easily. When he stops in his original position, he finds his Father standing under a street light watching him.

"Ryūken?"

Uryū ignores the slight glare from his Father even as the elder Ishida speaks. "I have indulged you enough with your hunts Uryū, now come along and let the Shinigami continue their tasks without your assistance."

The teenaged Quincy growls angrily. "What about that damn Hollow just now!? Aren't you even concerned that it is in our town eating souls!?"

"He didn't eat you, did he?" Ryūken replies. "Now, we are done for tonight."

Glaring at his Father, Uryū releases his bow and begrudgingly stalks towards his parent while voicing his hatred. "At least I am doing something about the Hollows. I don't understand why you are not."

Ryūken doesn't look at his son while responding to the accusations. "Because I never wanted you to follow in Sōken's footsteps. It has done nothing but bring grief to the Ishida family."

XXXX

Ichigo watches his two distant relatives leave the park, the words he had heard bringing forth numerous questions about their familial relationship, chief and foremost the utter lack of respect the younger Ishida shows towards his own Father. "What gives with that Yoruichi? He should be damn happy that his Tou-chan is at least alive."

Yoruichi hears the slight hurt and nearly imperceptible longing in Ichigo's voice. "It stems from when Uryū witnessed his Ojii-san, Ishida Sōken being killed by Hollows, while the Shinigami assigned to watch over him never appeared until it was too late to save him. He never forgave the Shinigami for that."

Ichigo hears the slight pause in Yoruichi's words. "A few months later, his Okaa-san lapsed into a coma and died. His Otou-san, Ryūken threw himself fully into his work after that, leaving Uryū to survive the death of two of the most important people in his life by himself." She sighed. "If you didn't notice, Ryūken can be very distant with people, including his own Musuko-san."

"And I have to convince him to help me train my Quincy abilities, well that seems likely to be an easy request…" Ichigo sarcastically remarks, watching as Ryūken and Uryū disappear from their view.

"Give him some credit Ichigo, Ryūken could've easily shot you when you grabbed his son from behind, and he would if he hadn't been warned by Kisuke about your unusual heritage, I think..."

Shivering when he realized how close he had truly come to having his existence ended, Ichigo casts his senses towards the approaching Reiatsu in the distance. "...I guess. So, what now? Kick that lazy ass Shinigami's ass for slacking off?"

Glancing in the direction where Karakura's stationed Shinigami is approaching them from, she shakes her head. "No, we'll leave it to him for the rest of the night. Pretty sure he is wondering what the hell is going on by now."

"But he probably doesn't care enough to investigate." Ichigo retorts bluntly.

Both are gone by the time the Squad Thirteen Shinigami arrives to survey the area. Confused, he shakes his Hollow detector and is surprised when a new threat appears on his screen. Shunpoing towards the area with the new Hollow, he never sees the young pre-teen hiding in the shadows who had witnessed all of the earlier events.

XXXX

Sitting at his desk, Ishida Ryūken thinks hard about the young Shinigami who is among his last remaining connections to Masaki, the other being the Shinigami's younger sister, Tamiko. Taking a deep breath to calm his turbulent thoughts, he glances at the photo that decorates his desk, the one of him, his late wife Kanae, and the several months old Uryū being held in her arms. After watching Masaki's son from a distance, he can understand the joyful glee that was in the shop owner's voice when he gave an update on the young man and his training. Ichigo had dispatched the three Hollows with frightening efficiency using several different low-level Kidō spells, well, at least he was told were low-level, the former Shinigami Captain had let it slip that Yoruichi's protégé had trouble keeping them from getting out-of-hand sometimes.

The second Hollow bore that in mind: when Ichigo ambushed it by suddenly appearing in front of the startled Hollow and pointing one finger while uttering the first Hadō, the mask and then the Hollow's body were disintegrated in an instant, and the concussive force that followed would have brought down the thankfully abandoned buildings in his surroundings if his partner hadn't hastily erected a shield in time to protect the area. It had cost the pair precious time for their escape as they were forced to survey the damage, almost letting the very slow and inept Shinigami catch them in the act while sneaking away from Uryū. Snorting, he recalls his own son's face the three times he had shown up much too late to make any kind of difference in regards to the outcome of the Hollows' fates. Leaning backwards in his chair, he lets a small smile form on his lips.

Finally, he picks up his phone and dials the number he thought he never would.

XXXX

Looking up at his ceiling as he lies in his bed, Uryū tries to understand the words the Hollow had spoken to him.

'Why would a Hollow care about my life? Why did it allow me to live? None of it make sense.'

It would be a long and sleepless night.

XXXX

The blonde-haired man looks at his seven companions and smirks. "Kid gots plenty of potential. I say we do it."

Looking each of his companions in their eyes, one by one they give their answer until he reaches the last person who needs to agree.

"Hiyori, whadda ya say?"

Arms crossed under her small breasts, the pig-tailed former Lieutenant growls her answer. "Fine, if you think so Shinji, but so help me, if Kisuke is lying about this kid I get to kill him myself."

The Vizard rolls his eyes inwardly. "Good, I'll let him know we're on board to help Yoruichi's little boyfriend get stronger. Funny though, I never thought she'd ever get over leaving her 'Little Bee' behind..."

XXXX

After getting home, Ichigo sits at the small breakfast nook cutting up several pieces of fruit for his last meal of the day. Replaying the battles with the three Hollows he had purified that night, he has to admit that he should have done better with his attacks, especially the destruction he had nearly caused when he forgot himself in his eagerness to impress his mentors and let his Reiatsu run rampant when he let loose with the simplest of the Hadō.

" **Hey King, stop fretting. So, what if you vaporized that Hollow instead of destroying the mask? End results are all that matter.** " Zangetsu offers to his wielder.

'If Yoruichi hadn't been with me, I could have done some serious damage. I could have hurt an innocent.' Ichigo grouses back.

" _ **Ichigo, this was your first foray into the struggles of the afterlife, no one was expecting you to be perfect, not even Yoruichi-** **sama** **I would wager. You must put this behind you after realizing your weaknesses and making the necessary corrections. Perhaps that should be your goal, to limit yourself to using the first Hadō until you can fire it without thinking of the process; since you are part Hollow, you should be able to perform the action instinctually.**_ "

Picking up a slice of apple, he considers his Zanpakutō's words and begrudgingly agrees. 'Wouldn't hurt to try, what's the worst that could happen?'

" **You couldn't have thought of something else to say?** " The Hollowfied spirit chuckles before fading away.

Two arms wrap around Ichigo's neck from behind, a familiar head of purple hair following as Yoruichi leans over Ichigo's shoulder and picks up a slice of orange. "You okay?"

Leaning against her arm, he pokes at his fruit. "Disappointed?"

"Ichigo, I'm sure you realize that no one is perfect the first time they do this, right?"

He ignores the two pulses of agreement coming from his dual Zanpakutō. "I guess. I just wanted so badly to impress you and the others by not messing up tonight. If you weren't there for that second Hollow, I'd be screwed if I had hurt or killed someone."

Yoruichi sighs. "I had a student like you once before. He came from a very prideful Clan and he tried his hardest to be perfect, but even he fell from perfection Ichigo." She says as she slides around Ichigo's body and moves to sit in his lap facing him.

Ichigo pulls her warm body closer into his embrace. "How did he fall from grace if you don't mind me asking?"

"He fell in love with a girl from the Rukongai and married her against his Clan's wishes."

"So, what's the big deal with that?" Brown orbs sees something strange in her golden orbs... something almost wistful.

Giving him a sad smile, Yoruichi tries to explain. "Several things made this a big deal for him. First, I believe his Clan was trying to arrange a marriage between him and I, although my exile nixed any notions of me getting married to anyone. Don't look so shocked Ichigo, noble marriages are very big deals, even in the afterlife. Second, the woman he took to be his eventual Tsuma died roughly five years after their vows, and many in his Clan are said to have secretly cheered upon hearing of her death. It made him question the meaning of his life and his duty to the Clan. Since then, he has kept a dedicated distance away from everyone, even those within his own kazoku. If I have to guess, I would say his life must be incredibly lonely now."

"You were gonna have to marry this guy?" Ichigo asks with genuine curiosity.

Yoruichi reaches behind herself and picks up the bowl of sliced fruit. "No. I had no intentions of being forced to marry someone I wasn't in love with. He wasn't my type back then either Ichigo."

Ichigo eats the offered piece of fruit from Yoruichi. "Mind telling me more about... her, about Shaolin?"

Yoruichi's face falls. "I loved her Ichigo, I've told you this before. But, that is in the past; if she were to see me today, I have no doubt she'd try and kill me for abandoning my Clan, my Squad and more importantly my duty. Is this going somewhere?" She watches his face closely for clues as to what he is thinking.

Ichigo fidgets somewhat. "Promise you won't laugh at why I want to know?"

She nods once.

"Well, the truth is that Juda and Zangetsu call you the Queen and they advised me to be open and honest with you in our relationship, so I guess I want to know everything there is to know about Shihōin Yoruichi…"

"Queen. They call me the Queen. Really?" She giggles at hearing their title for her.

"They call you the Queen, because Zangetsu calls me the King." Ichigo shyly admits.

"Oh?" Yoruichi raises an eyebrow. "He does, why?"

Ichigo shrugs his shoulders. "He's never told me why, he just does. Juda thankfully only calls me Ichigo and not Shiba-dono like Tessai-san."

"So, as their Queen, do I get to boss them around?"

Her eyes watch in fascination as Ichigo's eyes seem to glaze over momentarily before focusing on her face seconds later. "Assholes, both of them. They said and I quote 'you rule the King, no need to make us suffer for his utter lack of anything' end quote."

Smiling at the young man whose lap she is sitting in, she wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him forward. Brushing her lips over his, she speaks to him. "Right now, Ichigo, I am only concerned about one thing, you."

Their lips are about to touch when an aggravated voice stops them cold.

"Get a room, preferably the one down the hall that does belong to you, not in here as this is still my kitchen." Mia grouses as she stands on the opposite side of the nook from Ichigo and Yoruichi. "Now. Get. Out."

XXXX

Yoruichi parts Ichigo's hair as he sleeps soundly, gazing down at his peaceful face as she finds herself looking into her past.

To the first time she had laid eyes on the only daughter of the then Leader of the Fon Clan, Shaolin Fon. After making quiet inquiries about the young woman, she had taken an interest in Shaolin's development and over time she found herself wanting the young woman to become a part of her bodyguard unit. It wasn't unheard of back then, what was different was that she had felt a growing desire building in her soul to be near the younger woman, an attraction that wasn't normal or acceptable for a noblewoman of her stature.

Once Shaolin had transferred into Yoruichi's bodyguard, it didn't take long for Yoruichi to find herself falling in love with the younger Shinigami. Finding any excuse to be alone with Shaolin, Yoruichi began teaching and training the woman personally whenever they were alone. The realization of her love for Shaolin didn't manifest until after a particularly nasty infestation of Hollows that demanded Squad Two blanket the outer Rukongai districts with every available man and woman of her squad. Spread out as they were, she found herself alone with only Shaolin for company by the fifth day of their mission.

It was during an especially chilly night that they had found themselves huddling together under their blankets, which led to their first night of passion. It had started off innocently enough, just closing the distance between their bodies to share body heat and making light conversation as they fought to keep warm. An accidental question about Shaolin's love life had caused the Chinese Shinigami to let slip her about her attraction towards those of the same gender. When Shaolin realized her mistake, she had remained quiet at first, mistaking the silence for condemnation from Yoruichi. It was when the silence became unbearable and the young woman tried to flee in shame that Yoruichi took her own chance, grabbing Shaolin and kissing her.

At first, they didn't do anything but kiss, until Yoruichi took the next step for them both by running her tongue over Shaolin's lips, and when the young Chinese assassin hesitantly responded, it set off a long night of firsts for both women. When they joined up with several members of the Onmitsukidō the next afternoon, Yoruichi and Shaolin knew that life would never be normal for them, their love would have to stay a secret. It had stayed hidden until the night of Aizen's betrayal and the sequential events that followed where Yoruichi had to make a life-changing choice. She chose, and she left love behind.

Lying back down beside Ichigo, Yoruichi looks at his sleeping face before worming her way into his warm embrace.

"I swear, I'll never leave you behind Ichigo."

XXXX

All her life she knew how different she was compared to everyone else around her. She never told anyone she could see the spirits of those who had yet to pass over into the next life, spirits with chains hanging out of the center of their chests. Last night when she couldn't sleep, she snuck out of the house and decided to take a walk near the river and the warehouses. The first few times she heard the racket echoing through the air, she paid it no mind, thinking it was one of the numerous delinquent gangs breaking into the old and forgotten buildings. It was only when she heard the explosion that she knew something was different, something abnormal was taking place. Racing to where she had felt something in the air, she hid deep in the shadows and watched as the horrible looking beast wearing a white mask was destroyed by white lighting.

When her eyes were able to see again, she gaped as she saw a young man dressed in white being forced to his knees by what she could only assume was some kind of ninjutsu practitioner. She couldn't hear what was said by the two, but when the taller male seemingly vanished, she knew that what she was witnessing was entirely beyond normal or even human understanding. She didn't dare move a finger when a second and older man appeared next to the boy who she figured was around her age. Their words were also obscured from her, but when she finally saw the younger boy's face, she recognized him. He is Ishida Uryū, who goes to her school. Stunned by this realization, she remained hidden when the black-robed man who ran around the rooftops at night showed up then left again. Racing back home once she was sure they were all gone, she slipped back inside without waking up her adoptive family and snuck back into her room to try and get some sleep.

Tossing and turning restlessly, she doesn't remember falling asleep when she is suddenly startled awake by someone shaking her rapidly. "Get up lazy bones! It's time to wake up!"

"Urgh, what time is it?" Tamiko asks as she blearily tries to get up, only to roll out of bed and fall flat on her face.

Tatsuki looks at her groaning sister and pushes her onto her back with her foot. "What is wrong with you? Didn't you get any sleep last night?"

Looking tiredly up at her black-haired sister, Tamiko closes her eyes and answers half-truthfully. "Not really, had some really, really odd dreams."

"Huh." Tatsuki decides not to pry. "Well, you better hurry up or we'll be late meeting up with Orihime."

This causes the fiery-haired pre-teen to wince. "She's coming back to school already?"

Tatsuki nods her head as she sinks down to sit on her sister's bed. "Yeah, I think being in that house all alone is finally getting to her, Sora-san's funeral was three weeks ago."

Tamiko has to hid the surprise she feels when she finally realizes now why she remembers Uryū: she had seen him coming out of the hospital with his Father just as they arrived, following a distress call from Orihime telling them that her older brother had been knifed by a mugger.

"Did you ask Kaa-chan yet?" Tamiko asks to get her mind off of what she had witnessed last night of her young classmate.

"I am going to ask today after school. I don't think her Oba-san will have a problem with her moving in with us, actually I think it might be safer if she were living with us instead of alone, don't you think?"

Nodding in agreement, Tamiko gets up and starts stripping out of her damp and sweaty night clothes. The last dream she had, had been the strangest of them all. The woman dressed in white seemed to be in discomfort, but whatever she was trying to say, Tamiko couldn't understand them. The oddest thing about her was the fact that half of her face was covered in the same bone-white material that the creature she had seen get destroyed was covered with, and when the woman lifted her hand, a strange star-like pendant had fallen from her wrist. Sighing, she grabs her clean uniform and hurries into the bathroom to wash herself.

'Am I going insane?'

XXXX

One eyebrow twitching in irritation, Yoruichi slowly turns her head towards the equally pissed Ichigo, if the Reiatsu he is steadily leaking indicates how close to truly losing his cool he really is. Standing before them are several members of the gang that the classmate she had embarrassed in their very brief fight yesterday belongs to. The leader of the gang still sports two black eyes and a splint on several of his right-hand fingers, courtesy of Ichigo from an earlier altercation. However, in his left hand he holds a small folding knife menacingly, while other members of his gang hold various pipes, steel chains and other typical delinquent weapons.

"Get in there you two, we's gonna talk about respect and your lack of it for yo betta's." The bruise-faced leader makes a poor attempt at a menacing expression as he points down the small alleyway that leads to a deserted courtyard.

Ichigo folds his arms across his chest. "Fine, but don't say we didn't warn you ahead of time. If we're gonna do this, it's going to be for the last time. So, are you absolutely sure you want to do this, so soon after getting your asses kicked publicly? Hell, Katsuo isn't even out of the hospital yet."

The thug spits angrily on the floor. "Just get the fuck in there Watanabe, and no one said we were gonna fight the girl, we got other ideas for her, ehehehe, if ya catch our drift that is." He laughs lecherously while leering at her. "Now, fucking move it asshole! We ain't got all day for your stalling. Oh, by-the-way, we have more waiting for us in there so don't you think you can escape."

Looking down the alleyway, Ichigo easily sees about fifteen Spirit Ribbons and he isn't impressed. "Two against twenty-one, not good odds for you guys, don't you think? Sure you don't want to go get some more?"

If the delinquents weren't nervous before, they certainly are now after that statement. "B-Boss, how did dey know about-"

"Twenty-one or a hundred and one, it won't make a difference Ichigo." Yoruichi interrupts as she grabs his arm and pushes him down the alleyway. "I don't want every day to be this way, so let's just beat them to within an inch of their lives and get to school. I really don't want to gain an unfavorable reputation because of these fools." Ignoring the way the leader's face purples with anger, she walks almost with a skip in her step. "After we're done here, I want one of those new coffee lattes from the cafeteria."

Ichigo grumbles as he allows her to lead him into the alley. "Fine, fine, latte when we get to school. Oi, I really hope you guys are looking forward to your hospital stay because I really am getting sick of this stupid-kiddie crap." The orange-haired teen says as he finally steps into the courtyard and surveys the gathered group of thugs, each of them armed similarly to the six punks who had stopped them outside the alley, all except the two men who are standing in the shadow of one of the buildings.

"Yakuza." Ichigo whispers to Yoruichi, who nods discreetly at seeing the two heavily-muscled men wearing black sunglasses watching the teens passively.

Moving until they are in the center of the circling teens, Ichigo and Yoruichi slip into a time-tested position, standing back to back after throwing their bags off to the side to keep them from getting in their way. Yoruichi wordlessly slips a Kidō barrier over their bags to protect them and prevent people from stealing them. Deciding to put down his opponents hard and fast, Ichigo allows his Reiatsu to steadily grow over his limbs as he feels Yoruichi doing the same. Neither of them move as they wait for the teenage delinquents to work up the courage to actually try and attack the two vastly more experienced fighters. They notice the leader look over at the two men in the shadows, and seeing whatever signal he is looking for, he shouts at his thugs and the small army of delinquents immediately rush the pair.

Unfazed by the approaching horde, Ichigo waits until the leader's knife is stabbing towards his face before he moves, tilting his head and letting the blade slide past his cheek, he steps forward and drives an open-palmed strike right into the weaker lower bones of the thug's rib-cage, the satisfying sound of snapping bones and the excruciating scream of pain that rips from the Third-Year student's mouth an indicator of how badly he is injured. Grabbing the punk's arm that is still over his shoulder, he steps perpendicular to the older boy's body before whirling around and using his other hand to smash the elbow joint inwards from the bottom upwards, the snap of shattered bone and yet another bellowing scream of anguish filling the air. Not wanting to keep hearing the thug's anguished wails, Ichigo grabs him by the hair and drives his other fist into the teen's face, once, twice, three times, breaking his jaw and knocking out over half a dozen teeth before allowing the thug to flop bonelessly to the floor.

Unlike her orange-haired companion, Yoruichi glides towards her closest two attackers pre-emptively, catching the first teen's chain in her out-stretched hand and jerking him forward before driving her knee deep into his groin in a single swift motion. She winces at the high-pitched scream that erupts from her victim as his brain catches up to his injury. As he drops to the ground while sobbing and curling into a fetal position, the second teen's momentary distraction at looking down at his fellow gang member is his first and only mistake. By the time his head snaps back up, it's too late for him to react to the round-house kick that connects to the side of his face, sending him spinning before he drops unconscious with blood leaking from his ruined jaw. The third punk hesitates, then tries to use a flying kick that he copied from some Kung-Fu movies but the girl simply side-steps his lunging kick and grabs his leg with fingers of steel.

"I hope you like walking with a limp from this day forward." Not waiting for him to reply, Yoruichi places one hand on his kneecap and drives his knee downwards using her upper body weight and momentum, causing the leg to almost fold over backwards and touch the front of the screaming boy's thigh. Wincing slightly at the mess of ruined flesh and cartilage, she puts the teen out of his misery by knocking him out.

Ichigo resists the urge to glance backwards, knowing how angry Yoruichi must be judging by the screams coming from her side of the battle. Jumping up to avoid a pipe being swung at his legs, he kicks his next victim's head backwards, followed by the rest of his body when he spins around and nails the teen right in the chest with a reverse kick. The second he lands, Ichigo drops and sweeps the next two thugs charging him off their feet, then grabs the wrist of another delinquent and hurls him into the thug charging from the opposite direction. As the latter two thugs go down in a messy heap, Ichigo slams a vicious Reiatsu-covered fist into the face of the first recovering thug that breaks most of the orbital bone surrounding his right eye, then backhands the second thug whose head snaps sideways from the force of the blow and bounces off the side of a concrete flower planter.

Behind him, the Shihōin smirks as she faces a set of dye-haired twin punks who attack her as a team, though any genetic similarity is hard to tell from the facial piercings and tattoos that decorate their faces. She is slightly intrigued by the way their arms and legs swing and strike out in tandem, trying to exploit any weakness in her defense while covering for each other's weaknesses. Sadly, for them she has none that they are capable of exploiting. The moment one of the twin fighters slip up and move into her lethal range, she immediately pounces on his opening, slamming her elbow to the side of his head and grabbing the moving fist of his twin brother in her other hand. Crushing the bones of the fist in her grip, she yanks the second twin forward and slams his screaming face into his twin brother, then finishes them both off by punching them in the back of their heads. Sensing someone attacking her from behind, she flips forward while kicking the pipe right out of the hands of the stunned gangster, sending it smashing into the face of his partner, then executes a perfect snap-kick that smashes in his nose with her foot and sends him flying back in a spray of blood and cartilage.

Landing lightly, Yoruichi gives her next opponent an intimidating grin before her nose twitches as she recognizes a familiar odor emanating from the terrified thug's groin area. Rolling her eyes at his expression and the quickly darkening cloth, she waves him off dismissively. "Beat it before I rip it off kid."

She doesn't pay attention to the young thug now running for his life, instead focusing on her next target who is making a desperate attempt to tackle her with a chain. If she had, she would have seen an arm lash out from the shadows and knock the fleeing thug unconscious before disappearing once again.

Taking down his next opponent with a vicious headbutt, Ichigo chances a quick glance at the two Yakuza and wonders why they haven't joined in the brawl yet. His distraction costs him when he finds himself being grabbed from behind, his arms trapped at his sides by a set of gorilla-thick arms.

"Got ya now bitch!" A heavy voice says just as a fist smashes into his stomach, followed by the sound of something snapping.

Ichigo rolls his eyes when the thug who punched him screams in disbelief, gripping his fractured wrist and staggering backwards in shock. Stomping on the foot of his captor, he bends forward then slams his head back, hearing a grunt and a successful loosening of the grip around him. Taking the opportunity, he lunges forward and smashes his foot into the crying delinquent's groin, dropping him like a sack of stones. Next, he pulls his captor's arms forward and snaps his head backwards as hard as he can, grinning when he hears the sickening crunch of cartilage and a pained howl from behind him. As the arms holding him slacken enough for him to twist his way out of the hold, he grabs one of his captor's wrists and twists it so quickly that both the wrist and the forearm are broken almost immediately. The thug's pained scream is magnified when Ichigo wrenches his arm forward, further injuring the already mangled limb, then shatters his knee with a punishing kick followed by an elbow strike to the temple that mercifully drops the nose-pierced thug into blissful darkness. Turning back to the delinquent teen who is still clutching his balls, Ichigo knocks him out with a swift kick to the forehead.

Stepping away from his downed opponents, Ichigo feels Yoruichi's back press up against his, both of them seeing the remaining thugs backing away in true fear of the pair after being viciously beaten down. One of the frightened teens turns towards the older men still standing in the shadows and screams at them. "Whaddaya still standing there for? Aren't ya gonna help us or do something dammit!?"

Neither of the Yakuza answer however, and Yoruichi begins to grin when light suddenly glints off the metal being held at their throats and a voice she hasn't heard in years speaks from the shadows. "It's over punks. You lost and these two are gonna take us to your boss so we can have a private chat about them and you both leaving Karakura, forever. Or we can let those two finish you off and then we make you disappear forever, in a very different way. I'm not picky about which, so what's it gonna be?"

Beads of cold sweat run down the faces of the delinquents when they see the Cheshire grin appearing in the darkness, as well as the stiff appearance of the Yakuza thugs who are supposed to be their trump card. As Ichigo cracks his knuckles menacingly, the surviving gang members are quick to drop their weapons and flee back towards the alleyway where they had forced Ichigo and Yoruichi down earlier; at least they tried, until two very large men step out in front of them and effectively block their way. The first delinquent to reach them is shoved back by a heavily muscled man with short cropped white hair, wearing a tank-top shirt, combat pants and boots. His partner, a tall African male with dark spiked hair, sunglasses and a green track suit casually leans against his massive spiked kanabō as if daring them to go that way. Trapped like rats on a sinking ship, the delinquents desperately turn to flee in the other direction when a woman wearing a sailor suit suddenly steps out from right behind them, her eyes glinting ominously from under her glasses and fixing them with a stare of absolute contempt.

"Die." She says as a terrifying aura swirls around her.

Terrified out of their wits, the thugs are completely crushed by the woman's released Reiatsu and they all pass out while foaming at the mouth.

Dropping her Reiatsu, the bespectacled woman snorts in contempt before taking out her book and flipping it open to the page she had bookmarked. Leaning against the wall, she studiously ignores the two muscular males who step up and begin to drag the unconscious teen delinquents back into the square, both of them working together quickly and efficiently.

"Yoruichi, what's going on?" Ichigo whispers to the disguised woman behind him who seems to have recognized the newcomers.

Smiling, the Shihōin Princess slips her arm through his and guides him towards their bookbags, whispering back to him. "I'll explain when we can't be overheard."

Turning towards the two Yakuza who are still stiffly standing in the same position, Yoruichi gives the shadows a grin of her own. "Thanks for the assist you guys, we'll catch up with you later on."

"No problems… Akemi-chan." The voice still hidden by the shadows responds. "Your boy does have some scary-ass potential, can't wait to see what else he can do."

Picking up both bags and calmly following Yoruichi towards the alleyway, Ichigo hesitates as he passes the two men, then his head snaps towards the dark-skinned man with shock in his eyes. "You're almost like me." He says in a low voice, looking from the dark-skinned man to the white-haired man, then to the bespectacled woman.

Grunting, the older man dumps his unconscious baggage on the floor before going back for the next one. "Best get yourself to school, you should be able to make it before the first bell if you hurry." He answers without giving a proper answer, but the smirk on his face gives the game away.

Nodding his head slowly, Ichigo lets Yoruichi guide him away from the courtyard, never looking back at the unconscious teen delinquents.

Once the pair are gone, the voice in the shadows speaks up again. "Alright people, let's get this mess cleaned up. Lisa, call Hachi down to stabilize these guys. Kensei and Love, keep doing whatever ya doing. Hiyori, once they're done ya get to wake 'em and kick 'em out of town."

As Lisa nods and takes to the rooftops, an angry female voice speaks up in protest from beside him. "What!? Why the hell do I have to do that Baldy? Can't you do it instead?"

The male voice gives off a very put-upon sigh. "Because these two goons passed out while standing, and I gotta wake them, find out who their boss is and then kick their gang out of town too."

There was a short pause. "Huh... didn't think that could actually happen..." The female voice mumbles to herself. Without further ado, the voices step out of the shadows to reveal a man with ridiculously cropped short blonde hair covered by an old-time newsboy cap, his smile a row of teeth that looks similar to those of a piano, and an outfit of simple dark pants, white shirt and a tie, with a much shorter female wearing a battered old tracksuit, blonde hair done up in spiky pigtails and a frown on her face beside him.

Hiroko Shinji removes the sword at the throat of his Yakuza and gives him an experimental shove. The thug slowly keels over. "See? Passed out while standing. They really don't make thugs like they used to these days."

Grumbling, Hiyori sheathes her own Zanpakutō. "Fine, whatever. You owe me one, Baldy."

Rolling his eyes, Shinji crouches down to rummage through the pockets of his Yakuza. Any bit of information on their boss will only help his interrogation later. "Take it up with the kid then. He was pretty vicious with these guys... Princess too..." He shivers slightly. "Come ta think of it, better not mess with him unless ya want a vengeful kitty jumping ya."

Kensei grunts as he tosses the last of the delinquents down with the rest of his unconscious fellows. "What do you think of the kid, Shinji? He seems to have learnt most of the Shihōin-style martial arts already... he held back in the fight but his hits were all clean and effective. Think he can take on one of us?"

There was a snort of laughter from the gathered Vizards, then the Cheshire grin reappears on the piano-teeth man's face. "Kid's good but not that good. If he could do this much just training with the Princess, however... imagine what he'll be like once we get through with him."

XXXX

"That was them, the other Exiles wasn't it Yoruichi?" Ichigo asks when they are sitting in a secluded place on the school's roof, the other students having given them plenty of privacy out of respect for their achievements.

Nodding her head once as she takes a drink of water, the Shihōin Princess turns towards her boyfriend. "Four Taichō and Fukutaichō were experimented on by Aizen about a hundred years ago. Kisuke was barely able to save their lives, he had to use his Hōgyoku to stabilize them until he found a way for them to live, and Aizen used it to make him a scapegoat for his experiments. It took a while after we fled to the World of the Living, but eventually he found a way to return their powers to them."

Ichigo frowns. "Aizen Hollowfied them, didn't he? I could just feel the faint Hollow Reiatsu when I passed that guy."

Yoruichi places her out-stretched arms on top of her knees as she looks up towards the sky, a distant memory filling her eyes as she recounts to Ichigo the events that had happened over a hundred years ago. How several high-ranking officers were sent out into the Rukongai to investigate the numerous and highly unusual deaths that were taking place among the population and the Shinigami teams who had went missing while investigating them. The way Kisuke and Tessai both disobeyed orders to stay behind when the Reiatsu of those Captains and Lieutenants began to disappear much in the same way the Reiatsu of the Rukongai citizens had. How Kisuke discovered that Aizen had his own Hōgyoku, and the shocking discovery that the treacherous Captain had been experimenting on hundreds, if not thousands of souls before being discovered. How in the aftermath of learning the truth, Aizen had manipulated the facts and was able to frame Kisuke and Tessai for the crimes of Hollowfying the officers. How she had broken in at their trial and saved them, as well as rescuing the Hollowfied officers who were condemned to death and helped them all escape to the World of Living where they remained in exile ever since.

"So, there you have it Ichigo, what do you think?" She continues staring up at the sky while waiting for his answer.

"I finally get it now, what Kisuke has been trying to press upon me. How truly dangerous and smart Aizen really is." Ichigo wraps his arms around his own knees and stares forward blankly. "Do you think I really have a chance of beating him?"

Reaching over with one hand, the Shihōin grips his hand with hers. "If there is anyone I believe can beat him, it's you."

The two of them spend the rest of the lunch break in companionable silence.

XXXX

"Are we really going to do this Shinji?" Hiyori asks as she walks around the now empty nightclub.

Smiling as he sits down at the bar, the Former Squad Five Captain answers. "I think everyone can agree that living in that old warehouse is getting rather boring. Besides, we know a certain person who can help us get this place up and running in no time. Not even Aizen would think to look for us here."

The pig-tailed former Lieutenant pinches the bridge of her nose, Shinji's argument while simple did hold a decent amount of truth to it. "Sure, fine, why the hell not. We'll still have to fix up the basement and have some extra rooms built, but seeing that the previous owner was thoughtful enough to leave all his money behind, I guess this might work out somehow. But don't even think of trying to make me wear something stupid and serve drinks to you damn hentai!"

Kensei leans towards Lisa and remarks very lowly. "I doubt she'd even fill out anything."

Hiyori snaps her head towards the two snickering Vizards. "Whadda ya say!?"

Both of them hold up their hands and play ignorant, while the other Vizards laugh at their actions. Watching his friends and comrades enjoy themselves, Shinji downs his glass of sake with a wide grin on his face.

"Interesting days are gonna be here again."

XXXX

Tamiko waves goodbye to Tatsuki and Orihime as they walk in the direction of their home, she however was on her way to Urahara's after telling her two best friends she had an errand to run. Once they are out of sight, she dashes down several sides streets and quickly finds herself walking into a familiar store. Making her way to the counter, she falters as she suddenly realizes what she is about to do, but visibly steels herself. Staring up at Urahara's assistant, the young fiery-haired pre-teen coughs to clear her throat before squeaking out her question.

"T-Tessai-san, I-I need to know if Urahara can speak to me about something… private."

Sensing the unease in the young woman's Reiatsu, Tessai politely ushers her into a waiting room before moving deeper into the shouten where Kisuke's private lab is. Knocking on the door and waiting for his oldest comrade to tell him to enter, the former Commander of the Kidō Corp finds the grey-haired scientist studying lines of data on a small monitor while a video of Ichigo's first Hollow hunt plays on another screen.

"Boss, Tamiko-chan is here to speak to you in private. She… she seems very nervous about something."

Turning to look at Tessai confusedly, Kisuke's eyes widen as he notices the Reiatsu he had somehow missed entering his shop. Getting to his feet quickly, the shop-owner thanks his oldest friend and asks him to tell Ururu to bring something for their guest in a few minutes. Heading towards the waiting room while wondering why Ichigo's younger sister is here, his hand pauses before slowly sliding the door open to reveal a fidgeting Tamiko sitting at the low table.

"Tamiko-chan, what can I do for you today? I don't have any specials running this week…" He decides to go with his usual act to see how she responds.

"How do you know if you are going crazy or not!?" The pre-teen nearly shouts out as she stares at him with pleading eyes.

Caught by surprise, Kisuke hesitates, then slides his fan back up his sleeve. Taking a step back, he studies the young lady's overall posture and sees the signs of someone who hasn't slept too well the night before. Faint traces of dark eye bags and the slightly wild look in her eyes convinces him that her question is genuine. Making his way to the table, he sits down opposite of Tamiko and looks at her seriously.

"Do you care to explain why you asked that particular question Tamiko?"

The young woman shifts nervously again before she looks up and meets his gaze firmly. "Promise you won't laugh at me?"

"I promise."

Taking a deep breath, Tamiko recounts what she had seen the night before, and after some hesitation she also recounts the all-too-real dream she had before she succumbed to uneasy sleep. When she is finished, she gives the shouten owner an all-too-hopeful look with her pleading eyes.

"I'm not going crazy am I, Urahara-san?"

Opposite her, Kisuke just sits in stunned silence.

'Not possible. It's just not possible.'

Swallowing hard, Kisuke clears his throat and, despite knowing the beating he will have to endure once Yoruichi's love interest finds out what he has done, the Exile chooses to dowhat he believes is necessary.

"There is nothing wrong with you Tamiko-chan. What you saw last night was possible because of who… because of what you are."

Clearly confused, Tamiko sits back in puzzlement. "What do you mean, what I am?"

Kisuke sighs deeply, wishing that his meddling hasn't come down to this. Removing his bucket hat, he places it on the table between them and faces Tamiko with his most serious expression. "Your ryoushin, Tamiko-chan, were very powerful beings. Beings who were highly involved in the supernatural world." He pauses as her face starts to pale, but continues. "You, my dear, are the true-blooded child of a Shinigami and Quincy. Just like your Aniki Ichigo is."

XXXX

AN: Yeah sorry about the delays in my releases, things right now in my life are a bit stressful with things I can't control. I'm pushing through though and I am writing much more now. I don't know what I'm going to release next as I do have work on Destiny's Path and The Returned, and a few other crazy ideas going on.

As for this chapter, it's just to get the ball started and hints at how things may turn out differently than what we all remember and found great about Bleach. I really don't have too much to say about this chapter, but I will say there might at least 4 or 5 more buildup chapters before we get into the familiar timeline. So onto the reviews.

 **Response to Reviews Corner**

 **Swanboy: I realize that about the Asauchi, but that will be resolved much later in the story.**

 **Everyone, I really appreciate both the positive and negative comments, I do listen and for some of you, that means you will see a slow shifting of a certain writing style within my stories. Those few who commented on it, will see it over the chapters that will be released, for all my stories. I will still use that style, but not as much as I have, so yeah, I guess change and listening to all opinions do matter if I am going to try and write a story everyone can read. Technically not a response to that question. I will see you guys very shortly with a surprise, at least those who follow me as an author fav/follow. Just don't kill me when it happens, it really, really wasn't my fault, when you read it, you'll understand.**

Translations List

Honorifics

-san (さん) : Used to address people with a generic level of respect (equivalent to Mr/Mrs/Ms)

-sama (様) : Used to address people with a higher level of respect (equivalent to Master/Madam)

-chan (ちゃん) : Used to address people with familiarity (usually females)

-kun (君) : Used to address people with familiarity (usually males)

-dono (どの): Used to address people with great respect (equivalent to Lord/Lady)

-ue (上) : Used to address one's parents with great respect

Addressing people by their family name without honorifics can be seen as disrespectful.

Addressing people by their given name without honorifics implies a high degree of familiarity.

People may not always use the same honorific when addressing the same person; it depends on the situation and what they are feeling at the moment.

Special

-tachi (たち) : Used as a suffix to refer to a group

Family Titles

Chichi (父) / Otō (お父) : Father, usually addressed as Chichi-ue or Otō-san/sama (also written as Otou)

Haha (母) / Okā (お母) : Mother, usually addressed as Haha-ue or Okā-san/sama (also written as Okaa)

Ani (兄) / Onī (お兄) : Older Brother, usually addressed as Aniki or Onī-san/sama (also written as Onii)

Ane (姉) / Onē (お姉) : Older Sister, usually addressed as Aneki or Onē-san/sama (also written as Onee)

Otōto (弟) : Younger Brother, usually addressed as Otōto-san/chan (also written as Otouto)

Imōto (妹) : Younger Sister, usually addressed as Imōto-chan (also written as Imouto)

Sofu (祖父) / Ojī (お爺) : Grandfather, usually addressed as Ojī-san/sama (also written as Ojii)

Sobo (祖母) / Obā (お婆) : Grandmother, usually addressed as Obā-san/sama (also written as Obaa)

Oji (叔父) : Uncle, usually addressed as Oji-san (not to be mistaken with Grandfather/Ojī-san)

Oba (叔母): Aunt, usually addressed as Oba-san (not to be mistaken with Grandmother/Obā-san)

Itoko (いとこ) : Cousin (can be written with different Kanji depending on age, gender and which side of the family they come from)

Oi (甥) : Nephew

Mei (姪) : Niece

Kyōfu (教父) : Godfather, usually addressed as Kyōfu-san/sama

Kyōbo (教母) : Godmother, usually addressed as Kyōbo-san/sama

Ōoji (大叔父) : Great-Uncle, usually addressed as Ōoji-san

Ōoba (大叔母) : Great-Aunt, usually addressed as Ōoba-san

Sōsofu (曽祖父) : Great-Grandfather, usually addressed as Sōsofu-sama

Sōsobo (曽祖母) : Great-Grandmother, usually addressed as Sōsobo-sama

Keifu (継父) : Stepfather

Keibo (継母) : Stepmother

Mamamusuko (継息子) : Stepson

Mamamusume (継娘) : Stepdaughter

Relations

Otto (夫) / Goshujin (ご主人) : Husband, usually addressed as Goshujin-san/sama

Tsuma (妻) / Oku (奥) : Wife, usually addressed as Oku-san

Musuko (息子) : Son, usually addressed as Musuko-san

Musume (娘) : Daughter, usually addressed as Musume-san

Magomusuko (孫息子) : Grandson

Magomusume (孫娘) : Granddaughter

Ryōshin (両親) : Parents (also written as Ryoushin)

Sofubo (祖父母) : Grandparents

Keifubo (継父母) : Step-parents

Fūfu (夫婦) : Married Couple

Kyōdai (兄弟) : Brothers (can also refer to Siblings in general)

Shimai (姉妹) : Sisters

Itoko (いとこ) : Cousins

Kodomo (子供) : Children

Mago (孫) : Grandchildren

Kazoku (家族) : Family

Shinseki (親戚) : Relatives

Dōhōshu (同胞種) : Siblings

Nakama (仲間) : Comrades

Tomodachi (友達) : Friends

Senpai (先輩) : Senior (also written as Sempai, can be used as a suffix '-senpai')

Kōhai (後輩) : Junior (also written as Kouhai, can be used as a suffix '-kouhai')

Sensei (先生) : Teacher, Doctor, Respected Person

Deshi (弟子) : Student, Apprentice

Informal

Tō-chan (父ちゃん) : Dad (also written as Tou-chan)

Kā-chan (母ちゃん) : Mom (also written as Kaa-chan)

Nī-chan (兄ちゃん) : Big Bro (also written as Nii-chan)

Nē-chan (姉ちゃん) : Big Sis (also written as Nee-chan)

Jī-chan (爺ちゃん) : Gramps (also written as Jii-chan)

Bā-chan (婆ちゃん) : Granny (also written as Baa-chan)

Disrespectful

Oyaji (親父) : Old Man

Sochi (其方) : Junior (usually son)

Jiji (爺) : Old Geezer

Baba (婆) : Old Crone

Bō (ぼう) / Bōzu (ぼうず) : Boy (also written as 'bou/bouzu', can be used as a suffix '-bou/bouzu')

Boya (ボヤ) : Boy (literal translation, used as a suffix '-boya')

Insulting

Teme (てめ) : Jerk, Bastard etc. (can be used as a suffix '-teme')

Dobe (どべ) : Dumbass, Moron etc. (lit. Dead Last)

Baka (バカ) : Stupid

Hentai (変態) : Pervert

Chibi (チビ) : Midget, Runt

Gaki (ガキ) : Brat (can be used as a suffix '-gaki')

Speech

Yare Yare (やれやれ) : My my (exasperation)

Ara Ara (あらあら) : My my (surprise)

Maa Maa (まあまあ) : There there (comforting / calming down)

Moshi Moshi (もしもし) : Hello (greeting over a phone)

Hai (はい) : Yes

Ano (あの) : Umm...

Are (あれ) : Huh?

Yosh (よし) : Alright! (excited)

Yosh yosh (よしよし) : Good good (approval)

Itadakimasu (いただきます) : Let's eat (appreciative)

Gochisousama deshita (御馳走様でした) : Thank you for the feast (appreciative)

Arigatō Gozaimasu (ありがとうございます) : Thank you very much

Dōitashimashite (どういたしまして) : You're welcome

Ohayō (お早う) : Good morning

Konnichiwa (今日は) : Hello/Good day

Konbanwa (こんばんは) : Good evening

Nicknames

Geta-Bōshi (ゲタ帽子) : Hat-and-Clogs (refers to Kisuke's choice of clothing)

Yagi-Ago (山羊顎) : Goat-chin (refers to Isshin's scruffy beard)

Ichigo (苺) : Strawberry (a play on Ichigo's given name)

Ichi (一) : Shortform for Ichigo (一護)

Tats (竜) : Shortform for Tatsuki (also written as Tatsu)

Suki (好き) : Shortform for Tatsuki (also means to Like)

Hime (姫) : Shortform for Orihime (also means Princess)

Yori (ヨリ) : Shortform for Yoruichi

Nicknames

Bōgu (防具) / Kendōgu (剣道具) : Kendo Armor/Equipment

Men (面) : Face Mask and Shoulder Protectors

Kote (小手) : Hand and Forearm Protectors

Do (胴) : Torso Protector

Tare (垂れ) : Groin and Leg Protectors

Sune-ate (脛当て) : Shin Protectors

Bokken (木剣) / Bokutō (木刀) : Wooden Sword

Shinai (竹刀) : Bamboo Sword

Keikogi (稽古着) : Upper garments

Hakama (袴) : Lower garments

Soul Society

Sōtaichō (総隊長) : Head Captain (also written as Soutaichou)

Taichō (隊長) : Captain (also written as Taichou)

Fuku-Taichō (副隊長) : Vice-Captain / Lieutenant (also written as Fukutaichou)

Kidō (鬼道) : Way of the Demon, the Shinigami Spiritual Arts (also written as Kidou)

Hadō (破道) : Way of Destruction, Spiritual Arts focusing on attack (also written as Hadou)

Bakudō (縛道) : Way of Binding, Spiritual Arts focusing on capture (also written as Bakudou)

Kaidō (回道) : Way of Returning, Spiritual Arts focusing on healing (also written as Kaidou)

Locations

Seireitei (瀞霊廷) : Court of Pure Souls, the Inner District of Soul Society

Rukongai (流魂街) : Wandering Soul City, the Outer Districts of Soul Society

Daireishokairō (大霊書回廊) : Great Spirit Book Gallery, the Repository containing all the Knowledge and History of Soul Society

Shinōreijutsuin (真央霊術院) : Spiritual Arts Academy


End file.
